Don't Let Go
by Maraudress
Summary: Sirius always seemed the single type, but when Kalina Daniels comes into his life at 16, his world is turned upside down. She can match him move for move, prank for prank; and between the two, they will have to fight not to let go.
1. Yet Another New School

She had her hair pulled into a little ponytail; her blue eyes were light, she was happy enough; and her 5' 8" frame could decidedly pull off a pair of hip-hugger jeans and a white tube top. But dragging this trunk along a train aisle-way, looking for a not-too-empty or preferably empty cabin was getting to be impractical. It wasn't as though she wasn't used to not knowing anyone on the first day of school. In fact; at age 16, she was used to it. Not that being used to it made it any better.

She decided it was time to just settle on one. To her right, the cabin was full; four men sat in the seats with a number of others obviously just visiting. To her left was a cabin with a red-haired woman who was deeply immersed in a book. As she slid the door open, the woman looked up.

"Um...may I join you?" the blue-eyed girl asked.

The red haired girl smiled and said; "Of course! I was worried no one would come in, and then James would have had a perfect opportunity to come in and bother me," she rolled her eyes, "and of course, then his...My God James!"

The blue-eyed girl jumped and turned around to see the four men from the other cabin trying to sneak into the one she was presumably going to share with the red-haired one.

She picked up her trunk though; already she felt like she was barging in. The other woman saw this however, as did one of the men. As she tried to back out slowly, she bumped into him.

"Don't leave," he whispered, "We don't bite."

The red-head joined in and said "Please don't leave! If you do, James will never go away! My name is Lilly by the way. Lilly Evans."

"James Potter" the tall one with glasses volunteered, "and this is..."

"Peter Pettigrew" piped up the blond one.

"Remus Lupin" said a haggard looking one.

"Sirius Black" said the one behind her.

She smiled, and relaxed a little. "Kalina. Kalina Daniels. Some people call me Kal."

"Nice to meet you Kal," said Lilly, "James. Take your friends, and cause trouble elsewhere."

"Us? Cause trouble? Surely you jest!" Sirius said, "We are perfect angels and..."

"No, she's right Sirius...we'll come back and bug them later" with an evil twinkle in his eye, James walked out of the cabin. Remus and Peter followed him out, but Sirius stayed for a moment.

"Would you like some help with that trunk?" he asked.

Kalina thought for a moment, then lifted the trunk up, and started to shove the it up into the rack. She took a step back, and started to fall backwards as she almost crushed a rat. Sirius was right there to catch her and her trunk as the rat went squealing away.

"Are you okay there?" he asked while pushing her trunk the rest of the way onto the rack.

"Yeah...ummm...I'm fine. Thanks...I wonder who lost their rat?"

"Yeah, me too," he said said nervously as he let go of her waist and pushed the hair out of his face, " I'll let people know if I see anyone missing one. I better go."

"Finally" Lilly said as Sirius jogged down the train aisle-way. "Those guys are such trouble-makers! And that James Potter! urgh!"

Kalina laughed as she noticed that the look in Lilly's eyes was not the attitude suggested in her voice.

"So, I haven't seen you before. What year are you...wait, you're my age! So what house are you in? Tell me about yourself." Lilly sat cross-legged on the seat, and Kalina sat down across from her.

Kalina told her about moving from her birthplace in England to the U.S. where she went to her first wizarding school in Colorado. Then ones in Michigan, Utah, and California. Then the one in New Zealand that she was at before she and her family came back to England.

They talked about school and bought snacks. James came back with Sirius, Remus and Peter just after the witch with the snackcart came around. Eventually they were close enough to the school, and Lilly threatened to jinx the boys if they didn't leave. The girls changed into their robes, and prepared to arrive at school.


	2. Welcome to Hogwarts

Lilly noticed that her new friend was seemingly getting increasingly more with withdrawn; and Kalina was getting more withdrawn, and even more nervous. This was the part that she hated the most.

"Ummm, Lilly? You mentioned houses before...ummm...how exactly does that whole thing work? Do you choose the house you want to be in, or does someone else do it for you? Is it a private ceremony thing?" Kalina hesistated as she asked, and then felt stupid for asking all those questions. Her face turned red.

Lilly's face looked stricken. "Well, normally, a person is sorted by The Sorting Hat, in front of the entire school. The hat puts you in the house you belong in. But that usually only happens to first years..." Lilly looked at Kalina's red face, "Don't be embarassed! That's something everyone wants to know! Everyone finds it out when they first get...but I am sure that they will help...and make it so you don't have to be a 16 year-old being sorted with a bunch of 11 year-olds!"

Kalina's face was very pale...and her eyes were a very pale blue.

The train arrived at Hogsmeade's train station. As everyone disembarked, Kalina and Lilly stayed close. They heard someone yelling "Firs' years! This way! Firs' years!"

"That's Hagrid, the gamekeeper." Lilly said, "He's...Wow! Look at that!"

Lilly never finished her thought about Hagrid...and instead pointed towards a silver haired man with an extremely large, silver beard and half-moon glasses.

"What about him...wait! Never mind! That's _the_ Professor Dumbledore isn't he!" Kalina yelled over the noise of the crowd.

"Yeah! But he never comes down here...He is always in the Great Hall to greet us...and..."

"Lilly, stop overreacting!" James said, sneaking up on them, "He probably just decided to change his custom!"

Just then Dumbledore appeared beside them, "Ahh. You must be the new sixth year student. Miss Daniels?"

"Yes sir...Kalina Daniels" she had once again stepped backward right into Sirius.

"He doesn't bite either Kal..." Sirius whispered to her while snickering under his breath, "Calm down."

Kalina stepped forward again. "Mr. Black," Dumbledore said, "I would appreciate it if you would please keep an eye on Miss Daniels during the feast, have her sit with you at the Gryffindor table. Then after the feast and sorting, I would appreciate it if you would bring her to my office for a private sorting." he smirked, and his eyes twinkled, "I believe you know the way Mr. Black? Here is the password." Dumbledore handed a blushing Sirius a piece of folded paper.

"Yes Sir, " he said recovering quickly.

As Dumbledore walked away, Sirius grabbed Kalina around the waist. "I need to keep a very close eye on you for the Headmaster."

James and Remus snickered as Peter scowled. Kalina smirked and said "Keeping an eye on me doesn't involve keeping your hands on me," she slapped his hand and turned to Lilly, "So where do we go from here?"

Lilly turned to James, "Should we all ride in the same carriage seeing as Kal has to stick close to Sirius here?"

James looked absolutely ecstatic about the idea, and upon seeing his face, the guys, as well as Lilly, all groaned. "Sure!" he said, "Lilly, I knew you wouldn't want to be away from me for long, seeing as I can tell I must be the love of your life!"

Lilly just rolled her eyes. "Let's go." she said.

They all headed towards the horseless carriages that everyone else was making their way towards. Sirius was walking to the side of Kalina when another man walked up and draped his arm around Kalina's neck.

"Hello Blood-traitor...I see you are still disappointing the family even more than before," he drawled, "Now you're even doing the old man favors. Babysitting, associating with...mudbloods...your mother would be so pleased to see how you have dropped in society. You've disgraced the family name and..."

" 'Ello Lucius," Sirius said as he stopped in his tracks, "I see you are still trying to buy my mother's favor, seeing as she is the head of the Black clan and you need her permission to date Narcissa or Bellatrix."

"You called cousin?" a dark woman said while coming up to Sirius.

"I believe he did Bella...Lucius, my love." another woman come up towards Sirius and wrapped her arms around Lucius' shoulders, laying her cheek on his shoulder.

Kalina had no idea as to whom these people were, except they seemed to know Sirius very well. For some reason she found herself moving closer to Sirius as she moved Lucius' arm off her shoulder. She watched Sirius closely; his muscles were tense and his eyes darted around, he seemed to be looking for James and Remus.

They both saw it at the same time. James, Lilly, Remus, and Peter had just gotten into a carriage, and it had taken off. Sirius' wand arm clenched.

"Lucius..why don't we all just head..."

Out of nowhere Lucius whipped out his wand. But Sirius was faster.

"Petrificus Totalus!" he yelled. He smirked as Lucius fell backward and Bellatrix and Narcissa rushed to his side.

Sirius grabbed Kalina's hand and they ran towards one of the last carriages. "What a great impression I'm making on her!" he thought as he waited for her to climb in. He jumped in after her and slammed the carriage door. Whatever was in control of pulling the carriage must have felt their urgency because it took off only seconds later.

As they sat in the carriage, Kalina burst out laughing. Sirius looked completely baffled.

"Umm...are you okay?" he ased as he brushed his hair out of his face.

"Yes...I am fine..." she giggled.

"Then why are you laughing?" he only looked more baffled than before.

"Have you ever seen a muggle movie"

"Yeah...why?" he furrowed his brow at her comment.

"Because," she said, "Some of their movies are these "Old West" things. And there are these shootouts, like duels, well anyway you and what's-his-name just reminded me of that." she giggled.

Sirius had seen those movies, and thinking back, he and Lucius had looked like those muggles he had seen in movies...he could just imagine them pacing off at noon. He smiled and let out a few bark-like laughs. Kalina's gigglin fit had ended, and she was just grinning. Sirius noticed her eyes change from a very pale blue to one of the prettiest sapphire blues he had ever seen.

The carriage came to a halt, and the two came back to the reality that if they didn't hurry up, Lucius and his girls were going to catch up.

They jumped out of the carriage and ran into the Entrance Hall and found James, Remus and Lilly waiting for them.

"Sirius! Where have you been man? We sent Pete in to save us the bench." James exploded.

"Lucius" was all that Sirius said.

James and Remus looked surprised.

"Let's just go to dinner...I'll tell you guys about it later. He just rejoices in reminding me that my mother hates me and that I'm a pure-blood traitor. He is such a slime." Sirius stated.

They all headed into the Great Hall. The boys kept glancing back behind them to check and see if Lucius was going to sneak up on them. They were hoping slightly for the opportunity to duel him. Peter had saved them seats about midway to the front of the table. Kalina stuck close to Sirius still, she couldn't say why, but she did. Sirius noticed this, and was shocked to find himself feeling slightly jealous at some of the looks Kalina was attracting. They came up to the bench, and he looked to his left at her and saw her biting part of her lower lip in nervousness as he motioned her to take a seat at the table.

Sirius saw Lucius and Narcissa sneak into the hall and then Bellatrix moments later. His entire body tensed at the sight of them. The doors to the Great Hall creaked closed, and a door to the side-chamber opened.

Kalina's eyes were wide as she absorbed everything around her, none of this was like any of her previous schools. When the doors cracked as they began shutting, she jumped, and Sirius snickered at her. Then she saw the first years being led into the Great Hall. Everyone's attention was at the front of the hall, on a hat sitting on top of a stool. AS the first years gathered around at the front of the Hall, it became so quiet, that a person could have heard a pin drop. The silence was broken by the hat singing. It sang the legends of Hogwarts, of it's houses and the like. The sorting began after the song, and by the time it was over, about 15 people had been added to the Gryffindor table.

Sirius leaned towards her, and surprised her by whispering, "Hopefully you will be someone who will end up taking permanent residence here at the Gryffindor table."

Her shock was amplified when many of her favorite foods appeared in front of her and all along the table. Everyone dug in. Kalina went for the prime rib, the Kentucky bourbon sweet potatoes, broccoli and a roll. Peter reached for the pumpkin juice, and managed to spill it all over Sirius' steak and potatoes, Sirius' lap, and Kalina's lap along with his own.

"ARGH!" Sirius yelped, "Worm...you...PETER!...ARGH!"

Kalina burst out lauging, and James, Remus and Lilly joined in while Peter turned bright red. Kalina had a hard time managing her spell, but while gasping for air, she managed to wave her wand and giggle "scourgify", cleaning up the entire mess.

Sirius sat down looking grumpy until Kalina leaned on his shoulder for support. And once the deserts appeared, no one would have thought that Sirius had ever been grumpy in his whole life. He dug into every desert in his reach, and some deserts that weren't within his reach. The first years watched in amazement as Sirius ate 2 whole pies, 10 scoops of ice cream, and topped it off with a slice of cake. Lilly looked like she would throw up after she saw that, but James seemed to find it natural, which amused Kalina to no end.

When all the food disappeared, Dumbledore made a number of announcements; including one that urged everyone to stay away from the Shrieking Shack, as no one had yet been able to rid it of it's demons.

Once everyone had been excused, Sirius and Kalina stood up.

"Guys, I have to go see Dumbledore with Kal now...I'll be up later. "Sirius said to his friends.

The three men looked at him in a sleepy way and managed to nod their heads at him. Lilly told Kalina good luck, and then she too went out the doors to the Entrance Hall. Sirius headed out after them, making sure Kalina followed him. He led her through a lot of corridoors, and then up a number of staircases. Finally they reached a statue of a gargoyle. Sirius looked down at the folded parchment Dumbledore had given him with the password on it.

He let out a bark-like laugh, "Pickled-Bologna" he laughed.

The gargoyle sprang to life and hopped to the side, allowing he and Kalina to go up. Dumbledore and the heads of each of house were waiting for them. Without speaking a word, Kalina went and sat down at a motion from Dumbledore. He sat the hat on her head and Sirius and the others disappeared from sight.

_"Ahh...Miss Daniels," _she heard it say softly in her head, _"Your first name means light does it not? It cetainly describes you well. You are particularly bright...you could fit into Ravenclaw very well...but your heart lies in other places? He should have gone into Slytherin like the rest of his family, but like you I saw something and I put him in..._**GRYFFINDOR!"** it suddenly yelled.

As the hat came off her head, the first thing she saw was Sirius, beaming like a little boy in a prank shop. As everyone congratulated her, she thought of only one thing; what did the hat mean by "your heart lies in other places? He should have gone into Slytherin..." She didn't know anyone here...how could her heart lie in other places?


	3. Thoughts

Kalina seemed very confused about the sorting, and she wasn't talking much as they headed towards the Gryffindor tower. All she kept mumbling under her breath was "How?". Sirius couldn't stand not knowing what she meant anymore and finally asked "How what?"

Kalina looked at him with a slightly startled face that was replaced by a curious look seconds later. Instead of directly answering his question, she asked one of her own, "Did the Sorting Hat make mention of anything strange when it sorted you? I mean...did it make any wierd comments?" her blue eyes were inquisitve and seemed to bore straight into his soul.

"Ummmmm...yeah actually," he said jumping a step. He knew she was waiting for more of an explanation. Fortunately, he was saved by Kalina walking straight into the step he had just jumped. Laughing he came and stood on the step in front of her.

"SIRIUS BLACK! Why didn't you say something about that!" she swung her hand to bap his arm, he jumped back, and she managed to only sink farther into the stair.

He laughed again, and pulled her out of the stair only after she swore on a number of wizards, and her socks, not to try and hit him again.

They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady without further difficulties. He went inside the common room, and she followed him over by the fireplace where they found Lilly waiting. She and Kalina went up the stairs to the girls dormitory while chatting about her sorting.

Sirius went up the stairs to the dormitory he shared with James, Remus and Peter. He was greeted by a large number of pillows flying at his head as he opened the door.

"The Marauders strike again!" he heard Remus yell, chuckling at the expression on Sirius' face. Sirius slammed the door, planning to retaliate when James came and draped an arm on Srius' shoulders.

"Padfoot, you **DOG**!" he said thumping Sirius on the back, "She is a pretty thing! Even on the train you were drooling like a puppy!" James whistled. "Aren't you glad that we sent Pete in to help? Of course, his back is a little sore, but nothing I wouldn't do for a friend!"

Sirius smiled, and not surprisingly he knew exactly who James meant. Kal _was_ very pretty...

"Too bad you're going to break her heart, eh Pad?" Peter gave him a punch on the arm, and revieved a glare from Sirius in return.

The boys threw some more pillows as they got ready for bed, and each made the standard comment to Peter that the smell of rat was overly powerful and suggested that he bathe someday soon.

They finally settled down enough to get into their beds. Remus and Peter fell asleep first, and James shortly thereafter. But Sirius lay awake much longer than usual.

Around Hogwarts, besides the title of troublemaker, he had also geen given the title of heartbreaker. HIs friends teased him that his other nickname was Casanova; a name they had taken from a character in a Muggle movie. Sure, there had always been pretty girls around school, and he would occasionally go with one or another to Hosmeade or something like that, but it never lasted more than one or two dates; three at the most. He had his bad-boy/rogue thing down pat, and there were heartbroken girls all over school that would vouch for that.

But tonight, when Pete had said something about breaking Kal's heart, some different part of Sirius wanted to break Pete. He rolled over, and a cresent moon's light shone right into his grey eyes; did he want to break her heart? No, he reluctantly answered himself. Why not? He gave himself no answer.


	4. Welcome Back

_He was running...ignoring the pain in his paws from the thorns littered on the ground. The stag was close behind...way too close for comfort. He hid from it...he had already lost the werewolf and the rat...He heard someone calling him...and padded to his left, right into a clearing. The full moon shone on a pond...a black dog, slightly smaller than he, was drinking from the pond...she turned to face him as he came up beside her. He nuzzled her and looked into her eyes. The sapphire blue shone in the light...he heard a noise behind him and thought he saw the stag. He looked back to see her head cocked in confusion...and she lifted her paw to stroke he muzzle...and then..._BAP! Sirius woke with a start as James hit him with a pillow.

"Wake up Pad! You know that we have to pull at least 1 prank first day back!"

Sirius groaned as he rolled over, he hadn't slept very well. Those blue eyes haunted him all night.

"Come on Pad! Breakfast is waiting down in the Great Hall..."Sirius' stomach was seemingly the only thing enticed by that, so James went with a new tactic, "and you'll probably see Kal..."

That worked. Sirius sat up in bed. James had to snicker; Sirius had only known Kalina for two days, but already his friend was going after her.

When the two got down to the Common Room, they found a grumpy Peter and a highly amused Kalina and Remus.

"What are you still doing here?" Sirius asked abruptly which he was given several raised eyebrows for.

"Remus asked if he could accompany me to breakfast. Pete here asked Lilly to wait, but apparently she had to leave. Although," she said glancing at James, "she seemed to consider it when someone said something about you James...but you didn't hear that from me."

"MOO...REMUS...YOU...YOU...YOU..." Sirius stuttered.

Kalina sensed an explosion and decided to see if she could stop it. She never really liked pre-breakfast explosions; she stood up and walked over to Sirius. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the portrait hole and consequently towards herself.

"Let's just go to breakfast...okay?"

"God those eyes are killers" he thought to himself, managing to nod mutely. The rest of the Marauders went out the portrait hole, smiling at the lack of control their friend had when kal made the slightest suggestion. This was way too good for them to pass up; perfect teasing material. And to think; it only was their first day back

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Kalina went and sat with Lilly, who was sitting with a number of guys, once they got to the Great Hall and Lilly decided to introduce Kal to the boys.

Kal's heart wasn't there though, and neither was her mind. It was till stuck on what that hat had said to her.

"Kal?"

Kalina came out of her stupor. "Yeah?"

"The Marauders are holding our schedules hostage...and they won't give them to me...would you try?"

Kalina nodded and then said "Ummm...Lilly? Who are the Marauders?"

Lilly laughed, "The Marauders are James and his group."

"Oh...Okay." Kalina walked toward the Marauders. She was sneaking up on them, and she could tell they were absorbed in something. She was stealthy and managed to see what they were conspiring over. It was a large piece of parchment, at the top it said; "Marauder's Map". It seemed to be a very intricate map of the school. They suddenly tensed as she cleared her throat.

"Lilly sent me to get our schedules...and," she paused as James mutely handed them to her, "oh, thanks."

She handed Lilly her schedule as she walked out of the hall; Kalina wasn't all that hungry anymore. She kept walking, not really knowing where she was going.

"Oh my God...my first day at school and already I have lost friends...I didn't mean to see it...Hell, I don't even know what it really is..."she thought to herself. She didn't even know if they were mad at her, but she knew she had probably shouldn't have seen it, and that they probably were mad at her. Forget mad, furious was probably more the word. "What about Sirius?" the thought hit her like a bludger to the stomach. If he was mad at her...she wasn't sure what she would do. He had been nicer to her than anyone had ever been before when she was new.

She found herself at a door that led to the grounds. She sat down on the stairs, chewing her lower lip, a gnawing feeling in her stomach. She sat there for 5 minutes, remembering one of her favorite quotes; "Get angry, get scared, get embarrassed, just don't let anyone see it bothered you." She got up and decided to find her first class.

They had decided he would do it. He was better acquainted with her. He went to Transfiguration early, he had found out their schedules were exactly the same. As he came into the classroom, she was there, her head down on the desk.

They knew she hadn't meant to see the map; they knew that it had been stupid to have the map out at breakfast, which is why she would get another chance.

"Mr. Black." A female voice suddenly pierced his thoughts, "Never before have you been this early to class, mine or anyone else's for that matter. We are seating in order of arrival this year, so please sit next to Miss Daniels."

She was sitting in the middle of the row on the left-hand side. Perfect seating he thought to himself.

"Hey Kal..." he said, sitting down and sliding a small, folded piece of parchment over to her. He only hoped that she would read it.

Class started and Professor McGonagall gave everyone the benefit of the doubt, and spared them the beginning of the year lecture. Unfortunately, her first topic of the year was to delve deeper into animagi. Immediately the moods of several people shifted. The professor went on introducing them again to animagi covering the basics again; Animagi are rare, they are made, not born, it's hard to become one and requires a lot of complex magic, the form a person takes is a reflection of their personality, and how the ministry keeps very close tabs on people attempting to become animagi and even closer tabs on those who manage it. "They keep track of markings and so forth on wizards...and witches. They keep an amazingly close eye on them."

Sirius noticed that Kalina seemed very fidgety and seemed pale and nervous.

"To help with our lesson today, I would like to introduce you to a former student that I am working with to help the Ministry with finding illegal animagi. She works in the Muggle Relations department of the Ministry and loves to discover new spells and create new magical devices; which is what led her to this project." said Professor McGonagall.

Out of the shadows came a beautiful witch. Her dark green robes reflected her wavy brown hair, brown eyes and Asian skin beautifully, she was medium stature; she had an air of power around her that commanded the attention of the entire classroom.

"Thank you Professor. Hello everyone. What I am about to show you is a device that Professor McGonagall and I have been working on for quite some time. As you might know, there is currently no spell or device that can determine whether a person or animal is an Animagus. Now, while the Homorphus Charm will force a transformed Animagus back into human form, it would be highly impractical to fire Homorphus Charms every which way, trying to find a disguised wizard. Although the Ministry requires that Animagi become registered, and must record their distinctive markings in order that they might be recognized, it is suspicioned that there exists a small, but substantial population of illegal, unregistered Animagi. This device that we have created can detect the presence of an Animagus, both in its human and animal form."

She pulled a small, marble-sized ball out of her robes pocket. It was a translucent white color. She placed it on her palm, and placed the other palm on top of the ball, and the ball immediately began to grow. When it reached the size of a plum, she stopped.

"This is the Anim-Deprendo Globe. When it detects an Animagus in human form, the Globe will vibrate gently and pulsate with a soft green light. If it detects one in animal form, the Globe will vibrate and have soft red light pulses. Should there be two Animagi within its detection radius, one in human form, and one in animal form, it would alternate pulsing colors." The Anim-Deprendo Globe had begun to slowly pulse with green light, and there was a slight humming sound.

"As you can see, the Globe has detected the presence of Professor McGonagall. You heard me mention the 'detection radius' earlier. This refers to the greatest distance at which the Globe can detect an Animagus. The Globe was designed to have an adjustable sensitivity, so that one could restrict the detection area to a single room, or make it as broad as an entire city. In order to increase the detection radius, you should place the Globe in one palm, and place the other palm parallel to it, resting on the Globe. Then concentrate on how big you want the detection radius to be, and it should grow in your hands. To reduce the radius, you do exactly the same thing, except that your hands should be perpendicular, forming right angles. The Globe cannot be deactivated, but it is possible to make the detection radius so small, that it is within the Globe itself, and thus it cannot possibly be triggered. Any questions? Good. Now, at Professor McGonagall's request, I will make the detection radius bigger to further demonstrate the Anim-deprendo globes' abilities"

At this, four hands shot into the air. "Miss Daniels, are you quite alright?" Sirius was startled to see Kalina's hand in the air, and that her face was very pale.

"No Professor McGonagall. I am actually feeling very poorly, may I go..."

"I'll take her to the hospital wing Professor." Sirius volunteered.

"Now Mr. Black..."

"Please allow him to Professor; I don't know where it is yet."

"Fine" she said, exasperated, "yes you may go to the hospital wing, and yes Mr. Black may accompany you."

They grabbed their belongings and headed out the door.

They didn't hear the door close immediately, and Sirius turned around to see James and Peter thanking Professor McGonagall profusely for allowing them a bathroom break. As the door slammed, Sirius turned to see Kalina's robe whip around a corner and disappear.

As she turned the corner, she only managed a few more steps before she had to sit. Her first day and already she was worried. Suddenly, a ridiculous reminder entered her head. _The Note._ Sirius had wanted her to read it, but everything had been so hectic from that moment at the beginning of class, that even at this crazy moment she couldn't believe she was remembering it. Deciding no time was better than the present, she found the note and opened it up.


	5. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs

"Kalina,

Meet me in the Common Room tonight. At 8 o'clock. Don't be late.

Sirius

P.S. Wear something besides your school robes, jeans and a t-shirt are best."

At dinner, her food went basically untouched. Kalina had a bad feeling about meeting Sirius, but for some reason, she was still planning on trusting him.

At about 7 o'clock, she gave up on the hope of getting any work done, especially anything like homework. So she grabbed her belongings and went up to the Dormitory to change into the type of clothing Sirius had suggested.

She put on her favorite, most broken-in pair of jeans, and a plain white t-shirt. She grabbed her hunter green cloak and put on a pair of army boots. Then decided to fix her make-up or her lack thereof. By the time she was done, she had taken her sweet time; she had only wasted 15 minutes. So, she did some other things.

Finally, at 5 'til 8, she went down to the common room. she came down and scanned the room, immediately on the lookout for Sirius. She spotted him over by the portrait hole, leaning up against the wall, black hair falling into his eyes a bit. He acknowledged her with a nod, and she went over to him.

Kalina followed him mutely not sure of exactly what else to do. They walked through a few corridors before he pulled her into a dark corner. He pulled out a piece of parchment, and tapped it with his wand while murmuring something. He surveyed it a bit before reaching into a bag and pulling out a cloak. He mumbled at the parchment and then put it in his bag. He held up the cloak, and allowed it to un-roll. Sirius put it on and put the hood up, but didn't close it either.

"Come here..." he said.

She approached him with a quizzical look on her face. He pulled her colse to him, and then had her spin so her back was facing his chest; then he covered her with the cloak as well.

"It's James' invisibility cloak." he stated simply, it was no time for questions.

They came out of the dark corner and made their way down onto the main floor, and then outside. He steered her towards the Forbidden Forest; and walked into the forest for at least 15 minutes before Sirius removed the cloak. As he did, a branch was caught and it came back and cut Kalina under the left eye. It started to bleed, but she decided to ignore the pain. They walked farther into the forest; both of their faces got scratched even more, until finally they reached a very small clearing.

There Kalina saw James, Sirius, Remus and Peter gather for a moment. The clearing was lit by the light of the moon. James and Sirius turned to Kalina.

"There are things you must know. Remus will start telling you, then I will pickup, and after Sirius will wrap up." James said, "We ask that you listen, and question later."

There were things she wanted to say, she wanted to apologize, but couldn't move her mouth to do so. What a horrible first day this was going to be.

Remus began, telling the story of a boy who had been bitten by a werewolf. He ended by saying four simple words; "That boy was me."

James picked up immediately and began telling her how Remus, Sirius, Peter and he met and became good friends, the best of friends. He told her about them figuring out Remus' secret, and then deciding what to do.

Sirius picked it up from there. "We became the Marauders. James became Prongs, Remus became Moony, Pete became Wormtail, and I became Padfoot. We created the Marauders' Map. After we found out that you saw it this morning, we didn't know what we should do about it. Then, as we thought about it, you had snuck up on us, not an easy feat, and something about you seemed mischievous. So right here. Right now. We offer you an opportunity. Do you want to be our fifth Marauder?"

Kalina's face was one of mischievous glee. "You're really going to let me in? I mean, you won't just do a memory charm on me when I turn around?" she said disbelievingly, "Because if you are, do it now to my face."

No one made a move.

"Yes" she said.

"Well then. What to call you?" James laughed. "How about Maraudress, and we could call you Mar?"

As he said those words, Sirius pulled a knife out of his pocket; Remus and Peter stuck out their hands and Sirius sliced across their palms. "No, she is a female Marauder and therefore is Maraudress, and it would be a little too obvious" said Remus.

"Pad, whadyou think?" James asked, masking a grimace as Sirius sliced James' palms.

Sirius walked up to Kalina, staring into her eyes; he grabbed her hand, and stepped closer to her. Both she and Sirius blushed, and Sirius unfolded her fist, stretching out her fingers. "How about, since she is Maraudress, we call her Eclipse."

He inhaled sharply as just then, the moon crossed into line with her eyes and caused her eyes to eclipse. "I like it." she offered.

He gave her a wink and then cold metal set against her palm, his warm hand on the other side. She gritted her teeth, and her eyes got briefly darker, as he pushed down with the knife and cut her palm. And then did the other.

He then held the knife handle out to her. She cocked her head for a moment, then realized what he wanted her to do. She took the knife, and cut his palm, watching as no acknowledgement of pain was made. Then she did the other palm, and handed the knife back to Sirius who put it back in his pocket. The Marauders joined hands in one of the most powerful magical ceremonies in the wizarding world; the _cognatus vinculum_, or the blood bond. The wind began to howl and the stars shone brighter. Then it stopped.

They let their hands fall to their sides; the Latin words pounding in their heads; "Horum vinculum adstringo horum gens...fides, sodalitas, unum." Sirius and Kalina's hands wouldn't pull apart however, and then the Latin changed; "Illo nullus promitto." Their hands then pulled apart, and the two blushed furiously. None of the rest of the Marauders noticed however.

"So, now one last thing Kal...Eclipse, we told you how we go out on full moons and maraud with Moony here. There's only one way we could do that 'safely', and it was by becoming..."

"Animagi" Kalina interrupted, "I thought that might be something this topic would bring us to."

After raising an eyebrow at her, James continued, "Yeah, but that means that you as well should become...an...a-n-i-m-a-g-i...?"

Kalina was standing there, in the clearing, looking guiltily at her palms. "Yeah...well...I thought that would be the next point you would be getting to...ummmm...I...amananimagi." she finished quickly.

Sirius grinned, "See Prongs? I told you, a mischievous girl! What, may I ask is the form you take?"

Kalina grinned back, "A black, shaggy dog. And blue eyes. My eyes stay the same. How about you all?"

Pete picked up the string of conversation, "I turn into a rat." He continued quickly as Kalina's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "and Moony here doesn't bother..."

"I turn into a stag." James threw in.

"And I turn into a black dog like you, and my eyes are grey."

"Ohmygod! Ummmm...Marauders? It's midnight. I'm not so much worried about the time as I am about waking up tomorrow."

Just then, Sirius snuck up behind her and poked her in the sides, and she nearly screamed. Instead, she transformed and then barked at Sirius, who laughed.

"What did she say Padfoot?" James asked raising his eyebrows.

"She challenged us to a race." he said, and then he transformed.

James shrugged and transformed as well; at the same time, Kalina ran and knocked Sirius to the ground. Peter transformed as well. The four animagi turned to look at Remus. He rolled his eyes.

"For the first time in my life, I almost wish it was the full moon." he said, pulling on the invisibility cloak.

And then, they ran.


	6. Covered In Pudding From Head to Toe

It was going to work. Prank 587 was going to work! The four Marauders walked away from the Great Hall. It was perfectly set up, and they couldn't wait.

"Hey guys! Are you all going to dinner?"

"A little later Clips…"

"Okay Pad, see ya!"

"Yup, see ya."

Kalina went with Lilly and a couple of other girls towards the Great Hall. The boys and Kalina had decided to keep suspicion low, and so Kalina hung more with the girls, and stopped and chatted with the Marauders casually, even if they were discussing a prank or some such thing. It had been over a month since the cognatus vinculum, and they were preparing for a night with Moony and a trip to Hogsmeade. Not to mention Halloween.

Sirius, James, Remus and Peter all went and sat down on the stairs, across from the Great Hall. The tension rose. Kalina and Lilly had been held up at the door by two sixth year Ravenclaw boys. Finally, the four people went into the hall.

Suddenly, it occurred to Sirius. "Oh God. Prank 587, the prank, the Great Hall…KALINA" he suddenly yelled.

CRASH! It was too late, prank 587 was a success.

She walked to the door; she was covered head to toe in chocolate pudding. Her face was that of pure amusement.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were rolling on the ground laughing madly. Kalina came towards them, her hands were full of pudding, but they didn't notice until it was too late. She came up to James and Sirius, whose backs were turned to the Great Hall. Kalina took the pudding and stuffed it down the necks of their robes.

"Good prank boys…but I would suggest hiding from the on-coming angry mob." She said with a smile.

Both Sirius and James had looks of amused discomfort on their faces as the pudding traveled down their backs. A booming yell then came from the Great Hall. "FOOD FIGHT!"

The Marauders' eyes lit up with glee at the trouble to be caused. The four boys ran into the Hall, leaving Kalina smirking at their retreating backs.

They came back, moments later, covered from head to toe in pudding.

James "collapsed" into Remus and Sirius. "General…I...I've…been hit!" he moaned.

They all ran back into the hall. As pudding was flying through the air, Kalina pushed the boys to the side, took a few steps back, and ran at full speed, sliding down the main aisle on the pudding. Remus took a leaf from Kalina's boo and went running down the aisle, slipping and sliding on the pudding all the way towards the main table.

The other three combat crawled down the aisle to the other side. They decided to go back when James was nailed in the head by pudding, thought to have been thrown by a giggling red-head. Remus convinced James and Peter to try sliding, but Sirius was viewed as a hopeless cause.

Remus, James and Peter took off, and Sirius went to crawl back, but Kalina grabbed his hand instead.

"Come on! Give it a try!" she pleaded.

"Naw…I don't slide." he said, trying to push his pudding covered hair out of his face.

"Please! Come on! Padfoot! Be a Marauder, don't wimp out on me! Impress me with your awesome sliding skill! Unless you can't do it…."

She backed up a few steps, Sirius' hand still in hers. He recognized the challenge, and backed up with her. They ran fast, and started to slide.

Sirius' face looked a tad bit pale at first and his grip was very tight. Then he started to laugh; the color returned to his face and his grip loosened.

Unfortunately for them, while Kalina was convincing Sirius to slide, the rest of the Marauders had built a pudding pile by the doors. Kalina and Sirius crashed right into it and fell deep into the pudding. Sirius fell on top of Kalina, and they stopped laughing for a moment, until she pushed him to the side as Remus and James helped her up. Then they helped Sirius up.

As they left the hall, Kalina threw one last handful of pudding at their heads. The boys turned around.

"Next time, warn me so I can get dinner later…" she grinned at them and stuck her tongue out at them. The boys just laughed.

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Please review everyone!

I realize, so far this has probably been...interesting and I'll give almost any explanation that you may need. And just so everyone knows...this is my story as to what happens in the 6th, 7th and some of Sirius and Kalina's 18th year of life...

Soooo...review! And I'll try to be a little more talkative from here on out...


	7. Marauding With Moony

Now...back to the "Sirius" stuff haha after my completely pointless fun chapter...

Let's see...I owe the credit to helping me with the Anim-Deprendo Globe to one of my great friends from HPANA; Chlorinator101! Thanks!

Umm...lemme think...Oh...two words: Deja Vu!

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"Clips…Meet us at lunch. " Sirius whispered into her ear as he slid into his seat in Transfiguration.

She nodded slightly to acknowledge Sirius, and waited for him to sit before she spoke. "Sirius, what do we do?" she said, nodding at the board which read: "Anim-Deprendo Globe and Clara Bennett- Lecture continues and further demonstrations…..monthly visit"

Sirius groaned, and then said, "Ask James."

Kalina turned a little in her seat and then leaned back. James looked a little startled, and then smirked at her, "Clips?"

"Have you looked at the board?" she asked, watching him glance upward, and the grin get a little more troubled, she raised her eyebrows at him, "What do we do?"

"I don't know. ",he looked fairly worried now. Kalina decided to take things into her own hands.

As Professor McGonagall walked into the room, Kalina said, fairly loudly, "I think I'm going to throw up."

Professor McGonagall stopped. "Now, I think I'm going to pass out." Kalina said. Sirius looked at her, worried.

"Miss Daniels! You are as pale as a ghost! Mr. Black, escort her up to the hospital wing please." after a second look at Kalina, Professor McGonagall said, "Mr. Potter, will you please help."

Sirius took Kalina, and draped her arm on his shoulder and all three managed to take their bags with them. Peter came out moments after they left the classroom, using another bathroom excuse. Sirius and James helped Kalina around the corner, where she said "Boys! Let me go. I'm fine!"

Sirius looked; she did look fine now. Her color had returned. James let her go, but Sirius held on a bit longer. James was amazed at how perfect the two looked together. Sirius' chin came about to her forehead. His long black hair was falling in his face, hers was pulled back into a loose braid. Her arm was still draped on Sirius' shoulder, and it looked perfect.

Kalina saw James looking at the two of them, and suddenly moved her arm while simultaneously removing Sirius' arm from around her waist. "Thanks Pad." she said.

"No problem 'Clips." he said blushing a bit, "Prongs, let's go up to the dormitory."

Instead of meeting at lunch, the Marauders went over the evening's plans during the Transfiguration block.

At 7, they planned to meet in the Common Room. They would go out onto the grounds, and head towards the Whomping Willow, and then transform. Then, it would be the time to maraud.

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It was 6, she was lying on the couch in front of the fireplace, and was bored with it. She got up, and moved her favorite leather chair over to a window. The moon was just barely above the horizon. She snuggled into her chair, wishing for a big bear-dog to snuggle with.

Sirius suddenly came over to her, and startled her a bit when he touched her shoulder. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just wanted some time to myself."

"Oh. Hopefully you don't mind that I am going to come but you for a bit." he said. She gave him a grin that he took as an invitation to continue, "Don't forget to wear comfy clothes. It'll be a lot of fun 'Clips, you'll love it. Skootch over."

He had been sitting on the armrest but was sliding down. He moved her feet and she sat up. The chair was large, but the two were hip to hip nonetheless.

"McGonagall is going to get really suspicious if we keep leaving when she has the guest speaker come in..." he paused, "It's only 6:05...argh!"

They sat that way for a few minutes longer, finding that it was cozy in the chair, and then Kalina went upstairs. Sirius sighed, frustrated. "What am I doing!" he groaned to himself.

At 7, they left the Common Room. Once they got out to the Whomping Willow, they transformed. They made their way to the Shrieking Shack and found Lupin sitting, waiting for them; the potion that he had been taking all week had kept him quite in his mind. Sirius came into the room, and decided to bowl right into him.

They went out into the night, and into the Forest. There was a clearing that they all went to. When they got there, Sirius, James and Remus started a game of tag. They ran back and forth across the clearing and Kalina sat at the edge of the clearing watching them...following them with her head. It was a very amusing sight; a werewolf, a bear-dog, and a stag, romping around in the forest. Suddenly, it occurred to her: Where was Peter? He had been with them before.

She looked around for him, but couldn't find him. Sirius came through her line of sight again, and fell down exhausted from all the running.

She lightly padded over to him, how cute he was lying there, and, thinking that what she was about to do was just so the guys would tease Sirius, she licked his muzzle. James and Remus stood stock still, the stag and werewolf's jaws had dropped to the ground.

She backed up a couple of steps, and Sirius sat up in surprise. Kalina had a mischievous glint in her eye, and she turned and ran off a bit and then turned at him, and put her paws out in front of her, like she wanted to play. Then she took off.

Sirius jumped up and took off after her. James and Remus stood there, their jaws still on the ground.

Sirius went after her full speed. He heard James suddenly come after him, but he saw her and pushed himself to run faster, ignoring the pain in his paws from the thorns littered on the ground. The stag was close behind...way too close for comfort. He hid from it and he heard Kalina calling him...and he padded to his left, right into a clearing. The full moon shone on a pond; and there she was; drinking from the pond. She turned to face him as he came up beside her. He nuzzled her and looked into her eyes. The sapphire blue shone in the light. He heard a noise behind him and thought he saw the stag. He looked back to see her head cocked in confusion. But she lifted her paw to stroke his muzzle, and then she rolled back in pain. A rat had bitten her.

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Review please?

Let's see...I'll bribe you all...umm...a little tidbit about Kalina: Kalina Daniels seems a little bit lovey dovey at times does she not? Well...She really isn't...she's just a little swept off her feet...I promise, she will get much more grounded in a few chapters from here...at about chapter...20 or so...:-P

Sooo...is that a big enough bribe?

Review! please?


	8. Halloween Party and A Trip to Hogsmeade

Hmm...I hope you like it...I can't think of anything amusing to say...sooo...have at it!

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He was going to kill Peter. Kalina hadn't spoken to any of them since Peter bit her, and she seemed to be ignoring them all despite attempts to get her to talk. She was refusing to even make eye contact with Sirius. He wanted to tell her…well that wasn't as important as getting her back into the Marauders full force. Remus and James were mercilessly teasing him about Kalina kissing him the night before. Sirius walked into the Common Room and was greeted by kissing noises from the corner where he met with the rest of the Marauders.

Turning bright red from a mix of embarrassment and anger, he walked towards his two friends, and the one dead man. Peter cowered at Sirius' look. Sirius cracked his knuckles, and Peter turned white. He wasn't going to bother with a jinx…yet. His first move was one of his favorite "Muggle moves". He was going to punch Peter so hard that the little rat was going to end up in next year.

Peter stood up and backed up into the corner. James and Remus stood up. "Sirius, don't do something that you'll regret later on. He was being stupid, there's no reason to kill him. " James said, trying to reason with his friend.

Sirius pushed past them, and grabbed Peter by the front of the robe and lifted him a foot off of the ground, pushing him up against the wall. "Why the hell did you do that you little rat? What the hell did she do to you?"

Peter just whimpered, "Nothing…I'm so s-s-sorry S-S-Sirius….I-I-I am…I shouldn't….I m-m-mean t-t-t-that…."

Sirius pushed him harder against the wall, his hand around Peter's neck. "No one is going to save you Worm." Peter was turning visibly blue now, and Sirius was not giving in, "What the hell were you doing?"

"S-S-S-Sirius….J-J-J-James…R-R-Remus…..s-s-s-s-save m-m-m-e….please…."

"Don't go stuttering to them you little rat. Stand and take it like a man." Sirius brought his arm back to punch Peter.

Kalina came running up to him from the opposite side of the common room, grabbing his arm with her bandaged hand, wincing as she did so. "Don't hit him. Leave it alone." She gave him a look with her navy blue eyes and he put his arm back down. Kalina turned and went back up to her dormitory.

Sirius turned back to Peter. He figured he had scared the little rat enough, and although he hadn't gotten to hit him like he wanted, he felt a little bit better.

James and Remus came over and as Sirius dropped Peter, they grabbed his shoulders. "Let's go to dinner Pete. We'll let Sirius cool off."

They headed out the portrait hole and Sirius went and sat down in the chair that he and Kalina had been sitting on the night before. When she finally came back downstairs, he went to speak, but she shook her head at him. "Don't speak. Let's just go to dinner." she said.

They went down to the hall, where they found the doors were about to close. Dinner had become an unofficial banquet, and so they were hard pressed to find seats. Kalina found one, but it was a number of seats away from Sirius, and a little too close to Peter for his comfort. But she sat down anyway, and Sirius was left to find a seat on his own.

Professor Dumbledore made a number of announcements after they all finished eating. One of which was that there was going to be a Halloween Party the night after the trip to Hogsmeade, which was, obviously October 31st. Dumbledore had said that last part chuckling to himself about confusing the students. The Halloween Party was for everyone to come and dress up, it would be a masked event however, and so no one was to know who was going to go as what. He dismissed the students after that, sending them to bed after hinting that he might come as a golfer.

The week before the Hogsmeade trip flew by, and the Marauders were busy thinking about what exactly they wanted to be. Peter flinched anytime Sirius came within 25 feet of him, and Sirius was still fuming at him. Kalina was just not around. She was never in the common room, and the only time that they saw her was in class, as they never saw her at meals either.

Finally, the day before the Hogsmeade trip, Sirius caught up to Kalina in the Common Room. "Kal! Wait!" he yelled as she went to rush away, "Kal, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?" he said as he came up to her.

Kalina paled a little, "Ummm…" she said.

Sirius felt his stomach plummet. She bit the inside corner of her bottom lip like she always did when she was nervous. She took a deep breath, "Yeah…yes…um…definitely….I'll go to Hogsmeade with you."

Sirius felt his stomach fly into his throat and his heart speed up by about 100 times.

The next day, Sirius woke up and would have done a flip had he not thought that the Marauders would question him. He put on a pair of jeans and a blood red flannel shirt and then he looked at the clock and saw that he could have slept for another 3 hours or so.

He went down, and fell asleep in the leather chair for awhile, and woke to James and Remus standing in front of him, muttering, and looking concerned. They all went down to breakfast, and waited for the time that they were going to be allowed to head to Hogsmeade.

Kalina met Sirius down in the Great Hall about 15 minutes before they could head out to Hogsmeade. His jaw dropped slightly when he first saw her. She was wearing a rather tight pair of jeans, and a dark blue loose shirt. Her hair was curlier than usual, mainly because she had left it down and had let it naturally curl. She had a black leather jacket on, and had her sunglasses pushing back her hair on top of her head.

They met up with the Marauders at the doors, and Sirius chatted with James on the way to Hogsmeade.

When they got there, they decided to meet up in Zonko's later that day. Sirius and Kalina headed into Honeyduke's, and went and tasted the rare samples that the owners had put out this time. Then they headed out towards the Shrieking Shack. Every once in awhile, Sirius tried to grab Kalina's hand, but she always seemed to put her hands in her back pockets or in her front pockets just as he was about to get them.

He tried a number of times to bring up the other night where she had kissed him, but every time he tried to do that, she would shake her head at him and stretch her bandaged hand nervously. They talked about other things though, and were never lacking in conversation topics. At about noon, they headed back towards Zonko's.

They walked in the door to Zonko's and Kalina's eyes went wide. The pranks that covered the walls, and the supplies that made many other pranks possible all lined the walls and sat in carts. She grabbed Sirius' hand and pulled him to the back of the shop where some of the best things were. They spent a couple of hours in the shops, trying different things, before either of them noticed that James, Remus and Peter were also browsing the shop. Sirius made his way over to James, and failed to notice that Peter was making his way towards Kalina as she tried different spells on a cactus.

Kalina tensed as she saw Peter coming up to her. "Clips...I just wanted to tell you…" he began as she raised an eyebrow at him, he looked around to make sure no one was listening in, and gained confidence and even malice in his voice, "that if you keep getting closer to Pad, you'll get a lot more than a bite on the hand. You thought the last bite bled a lot, just you wait."

"Don't threaten me Peter." she said.

"Oh, this isn't a threat, it's a promise." he said, stepping closer to her.

Sirius, James and Remus all heard a scream and a blast as Peter flew through the air. Kalina ran past them, and Sirius didn't have a chance to go after her. They ran over to find a stunned Peter lying in a pile of dungbombs.

They each headed down to the Great Hall for the Halloween party one by one. They recognized each other immediately, but they had played along. Sirius was dressed as a pirate, James as a Quidditch player, Remus went as an Auror, and Peter went as a zombie.

James found Lilly quickly and immediately went and asked for a dance. Remus found someone to dance with, and they got all very well. Peter went and started to eat the cheese at the buffet table, and Sirius started to look around the Great Hall.

He saw her; a seventh year Ravenclaw boy was dancing with her. Jealousy welled up inside as he watched the boy spin her. She was in a costume of a barmaid, the corset was blood red, as was the dress with the exception that it had black stripes on it, the shirt was a cream color. Her hair had small braids pulling the rest of her curly hair back. She was wearing a black cape. After the first song was over, she tried to break away from the Ravenclaw boy, but the boy didn't get the hint. Sirius crossed the room towards her. He tapped the boy on the shoulder, "May I cut in?" he asked.

The boy looked peeved at the interruption, but handed Kalina's hand to Sirius, and stormed off. The second song came on. He bowed to her, and she did a polite little curtsy. The song was by a muggle singer, it was called Broken Wings. He twirled her a couple of times, and pulled her close each time. He didn't bring up the day before, he just danced with her, song after song they danced. "Peter threatened me." she said finally.

Sirius nearly lost it. His anger flashed, but he kept dancing with her as she told him what Peter had said. He pulled her closer as a Latin phrase repeated itself in his head, "Illo Nullus Promitto"; don't let go, don't let go. He wouldn't he promised himself, pulling her closer.

The ghosts had come into the Great Hall, and were dancing in the air, and Peeves was causing trouble. James was still trying to get a dance from Lilly, and Remus was dancing slowly with a very pretty girl. At the buffet, with his mouth stuffed with cheese, Peter swore to himself Kalina would pay for not heeding his warning.

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coughforeshadowingcough

Me? No...I'm fine...not coughing anymore...:-D

Review!


	9. Sirius Reacts

Hey everyone! This chapter has a bit more swearing in it than the rest so far…Okay...so a lot more swearing...the most offensive will be in the letter to Sirius from his mum...if you want you can skip it; James and Kalina will give you a good enough idea of what she said...without all the swearing...the letter is easy to find; it's in all caps...so...

Review! please :-D

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"Mr. Black, if it weren't for the facts that Mr. Pettigrew doesn't seem overly upset with you, and that you are his friend, you would have been expelled for what you did. As it is, I don't really buy into the whole excuse that you two were dueling."

"Yes Professor McGonagall."

Despite Kalina telling him that she wanted to be the one to go after Peter, Sirius had beat the hell out of Peter. He had taken James and Remus with him to the little "duel" he set up with Peter. Unfortunately James and Remus had jumped in and kept him from killing Peter.

Sirius felt he had done a good job in beating some sense into Peter. Pete was a black and blue bloody mess. Not much magic had been involved in the duel. Although, had McGonagall not found them, Sirius had had a good entrail-expelling curse ready for Peter.

McGonagall had been speaking while Sirius had been thinking, "and besides the two weeks of detention, I will be writing to your mother."

Sirius paled, not his mother, of all the people in the world; she would relish in him getting into major trouble like that, and say "I knew you were evil at heart and belonged in Slytherin." And then she would overreact.

"And lastly, that's 100 points from Gryffindor. You may go Mr. Black."

Sirius stood up slowly and walked outside, James and Remus were leaning up against the wall across from McGonagall's office waiting for him. All of a sudden he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It came flying at him, and jumped into his arms, wrapping it's arms around his neck and legs around his waist in a huge bear hug.

James and Remus came over, smirking at Sirius. He knew they were going to take the mickey out of him later, but he could deal with it.

"I was going to be mad at you Pad, but then I got too worried about you getting expelled, so I was too worried to be mad. Why would you do that? I could have taken car of it! You shouldn't risk getting expelled over that...over me!" Kalina burst out, sounding fairly stern, but hugging him tighter.

"Clips…Pad…can't…breathe…" Sirius gasped.

She loosened her grip on his neck and he set her down.

James turned to Sirius, "Can I have a hug too slugger?"

Kalina hit James on the shoulder, rolling her eyes. Sirius smirked and said, "Let's go back to the common room."

Sirius went to grab Kalina's hand, but missed.

In the common room, Sirius told Kalina about the fight. He went on about every punch, mostly for James' and Remus' amusement.

Then they got to the more serious topic, his detention for the next 2 weeks, the loss of house points, and then, and Sirius stalled as he told them, how McGonagall was going to write his mother.

Both James and Remus paled at this, and Sirius looked really upset about it. Kalina merely cocked her head.

James explained, "Sirius' mum is a…dark wizard supporter...the whole Black family has been in Slytherin…and when Sirius didn't get into Slytherin, she was really disappointed in him. And then, he continued to go "downhill" as his mum saw it, and so she basically has disowned him. She will be utterly thrilled to have an excuse to send a howler to him. And then she'll do something that she'll end up regretting, and Sirius would be tempted to kill her for."

Kalina wasn't really listening to the last part..._ "heart lies in other places…he should have gone into Slytherin…like the rest of his family…but like you I saw something in him…and I put him in **GRYFFINDOR!"**_ "My god…what the Sorting Hat had said. It was Sirius."

She looked up and saw a very distressed Sirius sitting in her leather chair. Knowing full well that neither she or Sirius would live it down, she got up and walked over to his seat and sat down in the seat with him. She leaned on his shoulder, and before he realized what he was doing, he slid his arm off of the back of the chair and put his hand on her waist.

They talked for a little while longer about what Sirius was going to do about his mother, and then James suggested that they go down to dinner.

Remus and James walked out the portrait hole and Kalina went to follow, but Sirius pulled her back onto the chair. He looked deep into her eyes, those eyes were stunningly dark, he came closer to her…"Sirius." she said

"Yeah?" he said, sitting back, mentally kicking himself for being so stupid.

"Next time, let me have a piece of him. I really wanted to beat on that twit."

He smiled, the common room started to fill up with students going to dinner. James and Remus came back arguing. "Guys!" Remus shouted.

"SHUT-UP THE BLOODY HELL UP YOU PRATS!" James yelled at the top of his lungs.

The common room went deadly silent. Remus raised his eyebrows at James, and then said, "The house-elves are insisting that they can't serve food in the Great Hall tonight, and so our dinner will be up in an hour or so."

Lilly came up to James and whispered into his ear. James went over to the window, and let in an owl that headed straight towards Sirius. He was as pale as snow as the owl landed by him. It's feathers were pitch black, a hunter green charm with a big "B" was around it's neck, and a blood red letter was attached to it's leg.

Sirius' trembling hands untied the letter. The owl nipped at his fingers and caught him hard enough to draw blood. He slowly slit the letter open; it floated up into the air and began to scream.

"BLOOD TRAITOR!

YOU DESPICABLE, VILE, USELESS PIECE OF FLESH THAT I HAVE FOR AN EXCUSE OF A SON! YOU LITTLE BUGGER! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO REPRESENT THIS FINE FAMILY. A PURE-BLOOD FAMILY. YOU ARE A LITTLE BASTARD! TO DO THAT TO ANOTHER PURE-BLOOD OVER ANOTHER PURE-BLOOD TRAITOR IS UNACCEPTABLE! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXPELLED, THEN I COULD HAVE BEAT SENSE INTO YOU.

IF I COULD HAVE ATTACHED A CURSE TO THIS ONE, YOU KNOW THE ONE I WOULD HAVE USED. EXPECT THAT WHEN YOU COME HOME YOU DISGRACE!

I EXPECT YOU HOME FOR CHRISTMAS…YOUR FATHER HAS TO HAVE A PARTY AT CHRISTMAS TIME, YOU WILL BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND THAT LITTLE WENCH OF YOURS! EVERYONE BEST HAVE DATES! YOU SCUM...LOWER THAN A MUD-BLOOD! YES YOU ARE!

I AM DISOWNING YOU AS WE SPEAK! YOU WON'T FIND YOURSELF ON THIS HIGHLY RESPECTED FAMILY TREE EVER AGAIN!

TONJOURS PUR"

Sirius looked like he was going to pass out. The entire common room went even quieter than it was before. The woman's voice was as lovely as a train's brakes screeching.

Sirius pulled Kalina closer to him, "Well" he said breaking the silence, "Nothing new there, I was already off the tree, beginning of this year…So Kal, I guess, are you up to meeting my mum this Christmas? I think you're invited."

Kalina leaned closer to him and kissed him softly on the cheek, managing to bring a little color back into his face while he thought about his mother's howler.

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Dun dun da...da da da daaaaa da...dun dun da daaa da...dun dun da daaaa...yes this is the StarWars theme

The Republic needs your help...REVIEW! please?


	10. The Christmas Party

'Ello! Yes...I'm sure it was unexpected...I tried to get him not to, but we all know Sirius...he's a little hard-headed...but Kalina loves him anyway...

This chapter should cause questions galore! YAY! Please?

I'll clarify more at the bottom...but thischapter is very fun...

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The Marauders, excluding Peter who was still in the hospital wing, had decided that they would go to the party. They had found out that James' parents had also been invited. Apparently the party was actually a Ministry ball, their annual Christmas ball, and that this year it had been sponsored by the Black family. Sirius had made the final call on the situation, saying "If anything, it'll be worth going for the look on her face when we come in."

The party was on Christmas Eve, and Sirius added that "All I want for Christmas is to see the look of utter repulsion she will have on that sallow, greasy face of hers when I show up."

So then, after the final decision had been made, James and Remus decided to get their dates; Sirius had already asked Kalina. Remus asked the pretty girl he had been dancing with at the Halloween feast, one of Kalina and Lilly's friends, her name was Mel.

James had, of course, asked Lilly. And to everyone's shock (and horror) she said yes. James' jaw had dropped to the ground, and then had gone over and started babbling mindlessly at Remus and Sirius while Lilly's face turned the same shade of red as her hair.

Two days before break began, James jumped up with a "whoop" of glee. It was breakfast, and the post had just arrived.

Sirius fell off of the bench when James jumped up. "What the bloody 'ell?" Sirius yelped.

James was whooping and jumping and dancing around with a letter in his hand. "SHE SAID YES! SHE SAID YES!"

Lilly managed to grab the letter out of the bouncing James' hand and she, Kalina, Mel, Remus and Sirius all gathered around. Kalina read it out loud to her friends.

"Dear James,

I am fine, as is your father. I am glad that the beautiful young lady that you have been describing to me has said yes to your invitation. I can't wait to meet Lilly

To get to your main point in the last letter you sent me, I have spoken to your father. We have owled your friends' parents, save Sirius, and they have given their permission for it. So, yes, you and the rest of your friends, and that includes the ladies, may come and stay with us over the holidays.

Love you lots! I can't wait to see you!

Love,

Mum

P.S. Sirius' love seems to be very nice. He best be careful, Peter seems to be a bit smitten with her."

The rest of the group jumped up dancing and whooping with James. Sirius was absolutely ecstatic about not having to spend a bunch of time with his mother; and his ecstasy was enhanced when Kalina hugged him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

They flooed to the Potter's house right after classes had ended. James' mother had hugged each one of them and made them all feel right at home. She made the boys carry all the trunks upstairs despite protests from the girls that they could handle them. The house was a-buzz with activity, and got even more active when James' father got home. The boys and Mr. Potter all left the room while the girls helped Mrs. Potter get dinner ready.

After dinner, they all relaxed in the living room with a roaring fire. Mrs. Potter brought out brownies and glasses of milk.

Mrs. Potter was chatting with the girls, "We should go to Diagon Alley tomorrow, and buy some lovely dress robes for the ball."

Sirius was going to wear black robes, James was wearing dark silver robes, and Remus was wearing very deep purple robes. Mrs. Potter had made sure that the boys had the robes that they needed, but had thought that the girls and she would have a good time shopping for the robes. As much as Kalina hated to go shopping and do things overly girly, she found herself really enjoying herself as they ate lunch, and wandered around Diagon Alley, and finally when they got into Madame Malkins' as they tried on different robes.

They each found robes that they liked, and then watched as they each one-by-one tried them on. Mel went first. Her first choice looked absolutely amazing on her. Lilly went next, trying on about five different sets of dress robes before finding the perfect ones. Mrs. Potter even tried on a few different sets of dress robes, and then found one that accented her perfectly. Kalina went last; she tried on a bunch of dress robes, not able to find anything. She went back in to try on the last one; she put it on, and laced it up. She walked out, and Lilly and Mel gasped. Mrs. Potter clapped.

"Oh my God! Sirius is going to pass-out when he sees you in that!" Mel exclaimed.

When they got back from Diagon Alley, they were bombarded with snowballs. Mr. Potter and the boys had built forts in the snow, and had decided to have a huge snowball fight. It just so happened that the people they had wanted to have the fight with had just returned. They began to throw the snowballs at the girls the second they walked in the gate.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter ran inside with the bags, and Kalina picked up some snow. She nailed James in the back of the head and the battle was on. Snowballs flew across the yard. Eventually it became a war against James. Lilly crawled over to James' fort and helped him while Sirius, Remus, Kalina and Mel bombarded them from the girls' fort. They came in after a couple hours, their faces bright red and their hair full of snow.

They all changed into their p.j.s, and came back down into the family room. Mel was braiding Kalina's hair. Lilly was sitting on the floor painting her toenails the same color as her robes. A pillow flew out of the shadows as Mel finished Kalina's hair and Lilly was painting her nails. It hit Kalina in the head, and the bark-like laugh that followed it told her exactly who threw it.

She jumped up and ran at Sirius, then changed her mind, grabbed a pillow and chucked it back at him. She ducked as the next pillow came flying at her, it hit Mel in the head. James got a pillow to the face from Lilly, and another all out war began. Mr. and Mrs. Potter came running and arrived just in time to see pillows burst and feathers fly.

"Okay you trouble-makers," she said, and the Marauders looked up, "bed! Now!"

They went up to their bedrooms, the boys shared a room and the girls shared a room, the doors on the girls' room could not be opened by the boys and vice versa. Anyone who tried, would have been given a nasty shock.

Sirius lay awake long after Remus and James went to sleep. He had too much on his mind and would never be able to sleep; he got up and decided to go out. He opened the door, and saw Kalina, leaning up against the door, almost waiting for him.

"Hey Clips," he said softly, "Whatcha doing up so late?"

"I couldn't sleep. So, I thought I might go for a run." she whispered.

He looked at what she was wearing, a flannel pair of p.j. bottoms, and a black v-neck t-shirt. "In that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes, "Sirius. I meant in my…"

"Oh! Okay!" he said finally getting it, "I can't sleep either." he added, hoping he might get invited.

"You wanna come?" she asked.

Sirius nodded, his eyes were imprinting her face in his memory. He suddenly stepped forward, reached up and ran his thumb along the scar under her eye.

"When did you get that?" he asked, stepping a little closer.

She smiled at him, biting her lower lip, "On the night of the cognatus vinculum." she said, slipping from his gaze and touch, "Let's go."

She wrote a quick note out, letting anyone who missed them now where they were. They walked out away from the house and then transformed.

They ran into the forest, racing each other. She was winning the race; and then, Sirius pounced. They rolled over in the snow as her momentum decreased. Kalina got up and went to look at the stars. Both dogs were panting, it was a crisp, clear night and every star was out. Sirius started walking towards a clearing, his paw prints making the only marks in the new fallen snow. Kalina's paw print went right in the same spot, she looked down to her paw, and saw her paw print, a little smaller, right in his. They were bound together.

She ran up to him, bowled him over, and then they ran again; matching each other stride for stride. They ran back to the Potter's.

On the 24th, they relaxed all day. Awhile after lunch, the girls went to change; the boys went to change a bit after that.

When the boys came back down, they met Mr. Potter, who was also in his dress robes. Mrs. Potter came down a bit later, and said, "The girls will be down in a minute. I am insisting that they come down one-by-one, they are all so beautiful!"

Mel came down first, her hair was done beautifully. It was pulled up, and a few curls hung around her neck. Her robe was beautiful; she had chosen dress robes that were deep scarlet, and the inner lining, which showed a bit, was a copper colored silk. All Remus could manage to say was "Wow."

Lilly came down next, her dark green robes accenting every feature of her figure. Her red hair was completely curly. Her face was beautiful, sparkles all over her face and arms. James just gaped. When he finally spoke his voice cracked a little, and he managed to say, "You look beautiful."

Kalina came down last. Her hair was pulled up in a bun, with braids in her hair, and curls. A small braid came down by her face. Her eyes were a midnight blue and her robes an even deeper blue. It had a bodice with black leather cording. Just as Mel had predicted, as Kalina bit her lower lip, Sirius passed out.

Once they revived Sirius, they took the Knight Bus to the ball. They entered the hall to find it stunningly decorated. There was music coming from an un-known source. The chamber seemed un-ending. It was lit by small torches and chandeliers. There were many pillars in the hall and had the most luxurious silk banners in between them. There were large banquet tables around the sides of the main hall. When they entered, they were escorted to their seats at the table.

"Bloody 'ell!" Sirius yelped as they were seated.

His mother had done them all the displeasure of seating them all right next to herself, Sirius' father, and Sirius' brother. Then she had also strategically placed Lucius, Bellatrix, and Narcissa on the other end of Sirius' friends just to be a nuisance.

Everyone came and sat down. No one exchanged a word; and then the Minister stood up. "Welcome to our annual Christmas Ball. Our wonderful sponsors this year are the Black family. Their entire family has joined us this evening, please stand if you would." he paused for the Black family to stand up. Sirius stayed sitting, despite glares from his parents and cousins. "Thank you…"

The Minister continued on for a few more minutes and then the food for dinner appeared. Sirius scanned the room, as he always did when he was around his parents or any other member and spotted a blond figure next to his brother. Regulus was sitting right next to Peter Pettigrew. Sirius tensed, and Kalina cocked her head at him. "What's up?"

"Peter is here; snuggling up with my brother no less." Sirius spat.

The food was fabulous, but Sirius checked his for poison first. After dinner, the banquet tables were exchanged for small, cozier tables, and dance music was put on. Kalina made sure she kept close to Sirius. Remus and Mel, James and Lilly, all stuck close to the two of them as well.

Sirius and Kalina marauded around; Sirius glaring at a still slightly black and blue Peter, who was buddying up to his brother. Other things were off too. Lucius, Regulus and Peter were all chatting with Mr. Black.

Mrs. Black wasted no time in coming over to taunt her son. "Ah…Sirius. You blood-traitor. Shaming my flesh with every breath you take. And your little wench. Lucius has told me all about her. Kalina Daniels?" she put her hand out.

"Indeed." she grabbed Mrs. Black's hand, and squeezed it very title, causing her to wince, "A pleasure to meet you."

"Ahem…Yes, I suppose it is. I hear you are pure-blood?"

"Yes, and my family works with muggles and other wizards."

"Ah, of course. Why wouldn't a blood traitor go for another."

Sirius cut in at this point, "Do you have a point to make?"

"Yes, filth, I do," she looked around cautiously, she had made sure to corner Sirius and Kalina, she raised her wand, "Crucio!" she hissed.

Sirius sunk to his knees, trying not to scream out in pain. The loathing his mother had for him only intensified the cruelty of the spell. Kalina whipped out her wand, but Mrs. Black already had her wand to her neck. "Darling. Don't waste your breath. One false move and my suffering son can watch his wench die without a breath." she said, venom dripping from every word.

She looked at her son, knowing full well that only the wand that placed the curse on the person could remove it. She finally waved her wand and lifted the spell, walking away, chatting amiably with any person she came in contact with.

Kalina dropped to her knees and lifted his face, "Sirius. Look at me." he looked at her as she spoke to him. His eyes were filled with pain.

For 20 minutes they sat there. Eventually, although still wincing, Sirius just got angry. "I'm going to kill her that bloody witch. I am going to rip her throat out, with her dinner fork, and then force feed it to my brother. Then, I will…"

"Sirius! Calm down, she'll get hers." Kalina said.

James and Remus came over, looking concerned. They had lost sight of Sirius and Kalina, and had just found them again. The boys started teasing each other. Kalina cocked her head at Sirius. She seemed to be asking why he didn't tell them about his mother. He just shook his head in response. It wasn't something he wouldn't tell them.

"This party is really exciting." Remus said, rolling his eyes. No one was dancing, they were all standing along the walls, chatting, nervously glancing at the dance floor.

Sirius got a mischievous look in his eye, and he stood up, motioning with his head towards the dance floor. Kalina followed him. He took her hands in his, the song changed, "Illo nullus promitto." he said.

The song changed again, and the words he said filled the hall. They started to dance.

_I can't believe this moment's come…_

She looked into his eyes.

_It's so incredible that we're alone…There's so much to be said and done..It's impossible not to be overcome…_

He smiled back at her.

_Will you forgive me if I feel this way..Cuz we've just met-tell me that's O.K….So take this feeling 'n make it grow…_

Kalina's stomach was doing flip-flops.

_Never let it-never let it go (Don't let go of the things you believe in)…You give me something I can believe in (Don't let go of this moment in time)..Go of this moment in time (Don't let go of things that you're feeling)…_

Sirius couldn't believe how much her eyes were telling him

_I can't explain the things that I'm feeling (Don't let go)…No I won't let go…_

She slid her hand behind his neck.

_Now would you mind if I bared my soul…If I came right out and said you're beautiful…Cuz there's something here I can't explain…_

He slid his hands around her waist.

_I feel I'm diving into driving rain…Get my senses running wild…I can't resist your sweet, sweet smile…_

He pulled her closer.

_So take this feeling 'n make it grow…Never let it- never let it go...(Don't let go of the things you believe in)…(Don't let go of this moment in time) Go of this moment in time…(Don't let go of things that you're feeling) I can't explain what I'm feeling…(Don't let go) No I won't let go…_

She was biting her lower lip.

_I've been waiting all my life…To make this moment feel so right…The feel of you just fills the night…So c'mon-just hold on tight…... (Don't let go of the things you believe in)…(Don't let go of this moment in time) Go of this moment in time…(Don't let go of things that you're feeling) I can't explain what I'm feeling…(Don't let go) No I won't let go…_

And he kissed her.

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Song is sung by Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan...the Soundtrack for Spirt: Stallion of the Cimarron

I absolutely love the song...I listened to it as I put it in here...sigh...

"Hi...I'm Maraudress...

(group) Hi Maraudress!

and I'm...a hopless romantic

(group) Gasp!"

hehe...I am sure I'll get plenty of questions...hopefully I'll learn how to respond to the questions soon...:-D...so ask away please!

I just realized I said that I'll clarify at the bottom...but I'm not sure what I meant...I wrote it about 20 minutes ago...soooo...If I remember...I'll edit this...if not...oh well.


	11. Forgiveness and The Prank Wars

Sooo...hopefully no one gagged on my hopeless romanticism...is that a word?...I think...now don't quote me...I'm writing chapter 19 right now so this is how I know...that by 19 or 20, the romance will tone itself down...and we'll get darker...although...18 starts it off...

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The Marauders, Lilly, and Mel, after returning to the Potter's on the Knight Bus, decided to go back to Hogwarts.

They returned to an almost empty castle. They walked into the Gryffindor Common Room and saw Peter sitting in a chair by the fireplace. Sirius tensed, and Remus, James and Kalina got ready to pounce on Sirius to keep him from attacking Peter.

"Kalina. I am really sorry for what I said to you. I didn't really mean it, I was being a prat. II deserved what I got." Peter said, his head was bowed," Sirius, I…I'm sorry."

Sirius glanced at Kalina, the communication from the night before was still there, "Peter." Sirius began.

"It's all right. Let's let dead dogs lie." Kalina said.

"Kal's right. Let dead dogs lie." Sirius agreed, while receiving incredulous looks from James and Remus.

Peter looked relieved. He walked over to Sirius, his hand outstretched to shake Sirius' hand. Sirius shook Pete's hand, and then Pete shook Kalina's.

"Kal, wanna help me take my trunk up to the dormitory?" Sirius suddenly asked.

"Yeah, okay." she said, grabbing the other end of his trunk.

They went up the stairs, followed by catcalls and whistles from Remus and James. They got the trunk into the dormitory, and Sirius shut the door. They situated his trunk at the end of his four-poster bed.

"So, why did we forgive Peter?" Sirius asked.

She smiled at him, "Because, I prefer to keep my friends close and my enemies closer. I don't trust him anymore than I trust an angry dragon, but I'd rather that he was under my eye than out there making trouble."

"I agree. We need to watch him, but if he does something stupid, I am going to kill him." he said.

Kalina hugged Sirius, "Let's go downstairs."

"I'll be down in a few minutes, I need to get something out of my trunk." he said.

He sat on his bed, thinking to himself. He still didn't trust Peter, and didn't want Kalina to be the dead dog that she was planning on letting lie. He pulled a picture out of his trunk. James and Remus had taken it for blackmail; it was of he and Kalina dancing. He felt his face flush as he remembered how close they were, her arms around his neck, how nice she smelled. The picture was of their first dance, _The Dance,_ and he noticed that his photographic double was also blushing madly. He put the picture in his nightstand. No one could ever find that, the teasing would be unbearable. He jumped up off his bed and headed downstairs. He heard shrieks as he came down the stairs. He hurried.

Peter was sitting on a chair, with a board on his lap. Kalina, Lilly, Mel, Remus and James were in a huge jumble, some with their hands crossed or fighting for foot room.

Peter flicked something on the board, and then yelled, "LEFT ARM GREEN!"

They all went to move their hands quickly onto the little green circles on the mat they were all jumbled on. Mel was the first to get her hand set down, and then Remus put his hand right on her. Remus flushed, his socked feet began to slip, he kicked Kalina, who bumped James, who grabbed Lilly who brought them all down. They all lay in a jumbled heap, laughing madly.

"Sirius! Come join us mate!" James yelled as the group tried to disentangle themselves.

Kalina was the first to get out of the pile, and came over to Sirius. They were all in their socks. James was wearing socks with snitches on them, Lilly had Gryffindor red socks on, Mel had socks with little moons and stars on them, Remus was wearing gray socks, and Kalina had socks with paw prints on them. Peter wasn't wearing socks, which is why he wasn't participating, and just working with the board. "It's called Twister…It's a muggle game, Lilly got it for Christmas from her sister. You wear your socks, or you can go barefoot, and you follow the directions. Like, you put your right hand on the green circle when Peter calls it out." Kalina explained.

Sirius shrugged, "I'll give it a try." he said.

He took off his shoes to reveal black socks. They all went and stood around the Twister mat. "Left hand red!" Peter yelled.

They all pounced at the mat, laughing. "Right hand blue!"

They scrambled to the blue, trying to be serious. "Right leg yellow!"

The twisting part of Twister began. Mel and Remus were late to react, and had to over stretch their legs to get to the circle. On the next color, (Left hand green), Kalina had to reach under Sirius' chest to reach the color. The game went on for quite a bit, going through the commands: Right hand green, Right foot blue, Left hand yellow, right foot red and left foot yellow. They were twisted beyond belief when it happened. The socks. They took revenge on the players. Kalina's foot started to slip. She bumped into Sirius, who started to slip bumping Mel, who slid into Remus, knocking over James, who landed on Lilly's stomach. Kalina fell into Sirius as her socks slipped. He fell onto his back, and she landed on his stomach. Mel's feet were trapped by Remus' legs. The group was a big mess, and they were completely stuck. Kalina tried to stand up; they were all giggling madly, but slid in her socks and landed in a very awkward position.

They all lay there, laughing for about 20 minutes. James and Lilly managed to get up first, Kalina and Sirius got up next. Mel and Remus got up last, as red as cherries.

The boys headed up to their dormitory for a little bit before dinner. Kalina, Mel and Lilly all hung out downstairs. As they were chatting about giving gifts to one another later, (they hadn't exchanged gifts yet), Kalina thought she heard someone coming up behind them, a whisper, and a slight breeze. Her Marauder's instincts kept her alert, but she gradually relaxed a little, although she still didn't trust the situation.

Suddenly, she heard Sirius yell "Bombs Away!"

She looked up just in time to receive a water balloon in the face. Dozens of water balloons fell down onto the girls. They sat there, drenched for a few moments before Kalina, in her drenched jeans, t-shirt and socks, jumped over the back of the couch, only to slip on a drenched Twister mat.

Sirius came down off of the stairs, and came towards her. "Got ya!"

She grabbed him behind the knees and pulled him down, and then whispered into his ear. "Let the Prank Wars begin."

She sat back, and he looked into her blue eyes as they flashed dangerously. He mentally kicked himself; it probably would have been better to have her on their side in a war like the one he knew was coming.

"Clips…" he said warily drawing out her name.

"Good luck Pad. You're going to need it." she said, raising her eyebrows at him.

He groaned, they definitely should have had her on their side.

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An ode to the reviewer:

Review...I do ask you

To review...and review, if that's what you wish to do

Review...ask this of you I do...please...Review!

Hahaha...yeah...really corny and stupid and probably making everyone wonder; "Hold on...is this the same person who wrote this story?"...yeah...it's me...I'm just a little hyper right now


	12. The Fear and The Secret

Soo...I'm really happy...I'm out of school! And tomorrow I'll be an official sophmore in highschool! Which means...dun dun daaa...that I"ll be able to finish 19 (Keep in mind all of these chapters have been written for awhile...18 is the newest...about a week old) and then I"ll be able to get going really well again!

Hope you like the rollercoaster ride...cuz it's a'comin'

* * *

They walked into the Great Hall, drenched to the skin. She was there, in her seat, looking perfectly innocent.

_Squish, squish, squish._ Sirius went and sat down, his black hair plastered to his head and forehead. He shook his hair like a dog, getting her attention. "Clips." he said, nodding at her.

"What happened to you? You looked like a drowned dog." she said with a mischievous look in her eye, and a wicked grin.

"I got wet. We got wet." he said, his voice tense.

Kalina looked around, slightly pleased and bemused to see James looking disheveled, Remus drenched, and Peter looking slightly like a wet beach ball. She was trying very hard not to grin, or laugh, but her shoulders were shaking with laughter.

"Someone…" Sirius said, looking her in the eyes, "Set it up, so when we walked by the suits of armor outside the door they would spit water at us. Not just dribbles, but a lot of water. Small water falls even."

"Shall we call it one-one then?" she asked.

He squeezed the water out of his robe sleeve down her neck. "Yeah." he said as she shuddered, "one-one."

Kalina gave Lilly and Mel a triumphant smile, and then turned to Sirius and stuck her tongue out at him. He let out a bark like laugh, and returned the favor. Then, he rid his other sleeve of water by squeezing it down her neck again.

The next morning, Peter came running down the dormitory stairs; screaming at the top of his lungs. The boys immediately jumped up, "What's the matter Pete?" James asked him.

"B-b-b-b-b-b-og-g-g-g-art-t-t-t-t….i-i-n…the…the…the…the…d-d-d-d-d-orm-m-m-m-i-t-t-t-tory…" he managed to stammer.

Remus burst out laughing, and James and Sirius gave him a weird look. "So what did _you_ see?" Remus asked.

Peter drew himself up very tall, "N-n-n-none of your…your…your…business…R-r-r-remus!" he stuttered, fear still evident in his body language.

Sirius pulled Kalina out of the chair they had been sitting in, and the Marauders ran up the stairs. The Dark Mark was floating in the air, but as Remus approached, it immediately turned into a full moon. Remus flinched a little, but started to snicker, yelling "Riddukulus!". Kalina stepped up, and Remus stepped back, the boggart turned into a dead man lying on the ground, and then it flashed into another person, and another as she slowly backed away; thoughts consuming her. It flashed into a more recognizable person, Sirius was dead…and then the boggart started to show how they died…they saw Sirius sucked through a veil after a stunner spell hit him in the gut. Remus stepped up to it, and it changed back into the moon. James and Sirius looked at each other, Sirius grinning shakily, and then stepped forward. They yelled "Riddikulus". The boggart got confused, it tried to scare James first, and then Sirius. It didn't succeed, and tried to scare them both at the same time. POOF! It changed into ½ a slug and ½ a weak arm. They all lost it. Even Kalina who was still a little shaky was laughing. The boggart looked even more confused, and with a last bark-like laugh, it exploded.

They were rolling on the ground with laughter long after.

* * *

They went down to breakfast late, after the boggart situation had been taken care of. The post was just arriving as they sat down. Sirius looked around hopefully for an owl, he had taken out a subscription to The Daily Prophet. He spotted it, and failed to notice Kalina trying hard not to giggle madly.

He paid the owl and then opened it up, picking up his quill, searching for the crossword.

"Why do you get the newspaper Pad?" Kalina asked.

"I love the crossword…I crave it really…why Clips?" he responded.

"No particular reason." she said, still trying hard not to giggle.

He got to the page where the crossword puzzle always was, and it wasn't there. He flipped the page, searching frantically. For quite a few minutes he flipped back and forth between the last pages of the Prophet, searching for his beloved crossword.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" he wailed, "It's missing!"

He glanced over at Kalina, who was waving a small, clipped out piece of a newspaper. He jumped at her the best he could from a sitting position.

"Shall we call that two-one, Eclipse?" she said in a low, taunting voice, a evil grin spreading on her face.

He snatched the paper from her, and then started to work on it. The first word he came to was "boggart". He had been so distracted after the boggart had exploded that he hadn't remembered to ask Kalina about her fear.

"Clips…can I ask you something?" he asked.

"You just did. But yeah, I guess another question wouldn't kill me." she said.

"Come here." he grabbed her hand and they walked out of the hall, and sat down on the staircase, "What was your boggart all about?"

He was still a little shaken about seeing the last part of her boggart, him, dead. And then him, falling through a veil after the stunner he had taken to the gut.

"I…I…ummm…I…get afraid that anyone I love, I'll lose…and sometimes, I fear the ways I'll lose them. Dreams…you know?" she said biting her lower lip.

"Yeah…so…you are afraid of losing me? You said anyone you love, and I was part of your fear…So does that mean you love me?" he asked, a slight mischievous glint in his dark gray eyes, and a taunting smile on his face.

She clenched her teeth, and then smacked the back of his head, turning and walking up the stairs.

So maybe he had pushed her too far with the last part of the question; but he had been really curious as to what her answer would have been. He wasn't sure what her answer would have been, part of him knew what he wanted her answer to be, but another part was really freaked out.

She reached the common room, face burning. Kalina ran and sat down in her favorite chair. She and Sirius seemed to be dating in a sense. He hadn't really asked her out, but they had gone on dates together, and certainly acted like boyfriend and girlfriend, and she knew that he liked her. How much she wasn't sure, but she knew that daily she got more fearful of losing him to someone else.

Did she love him? Yes. She couldn't believe herself. She needed to say it out loud. She had stood up, and was pacing nervously. "Kalina; do you love Sirius Black?"

She stopped pacing. "Yes." she said confidently.

A deep voice came from by the portrait entrance. "That's good, because I think he loves you too."

She turned on her heel, and made eye contact with the last person she would have wanted to see at that very moment.

Sirius Black.

He had heard her say it, and had heard himself respond, but he hadn't even thought that her reaction would be what it was. She had looked at him, pale as a ghost. And then her eyes traveled behind him, and if it was possible, she went even whiter.

She ran past Sirius, and he spun around to watch. His eyes fell on Peter. Sirius gritted his teeth, "Perfect" he thought.

"What's wrong with Clips?" Peter asked in mock concern.

Sirius considered going after her, but keeping Peter's threat in mind, he didn't. The last thing he would ever do was put her into danger. He decided to hope that Peter hadn't really gotten the gist of what was going on. "Not sure Worm…where's James and Remus?"

"James…well…that's what I came up to talk to you about…Did you look the front page of the Prophet?"

"No…why Worm?"

"Well…James wanted me to tell you and tell Clips…but…you should…just…come see."

They went down to the Great Hall, and saw James and Remus waiting by the door. James held the Prophet up to Sirius to look at; "Wizarding Family Attacked".

Sirius absorbed a great deal of information in moments…he scanned the paper; "family attacked by You-Know-Who…not sure if they'll make it…obviously Avada Kedavra wasn't used…immediate death doesn't seem to be intent…prominent figures…Daniels…parents of Hogwarts student Kalina Daniels…more details in the evening edition…"

He looked at his friends, and then turned to run back up to the common room.

Sirius ran into the dormitory, and tried to pull up the loose floorboard. James, Remus and Pete came running in after him. He had forgotten their security device on it. All four of them had to place a hand on the board, that way no one could betray one of the others. They all lifted the board, and Sirius grabbed the Marauder's Map.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good!" he said frantically.

His eyes traveled across the paper…searching for the single little dot that was his life. "Don't you know where she is Pad?" Peter asked.

"No…shut-up for a bloody second…" his eyes traveled even faster across the map.

He spotted the dot…heading right at the Forbidden Forest. He jumped up and ran.

* * *

"Kalina! Eclipse! KALINA!" Sirius yelled as he ran at her.

She turned and she froze, her breath visibly catching in her chest. He caught up with her, and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Sirius…look…what I said earlier…" she began.

"No…don't…talk…Clips…Kal…I…have…bad news." he panted.

She sucked in her breath quickly, and her eyes went an icy blue. "What's the matter Sirius?" she said in a tense voice.

"Your parents." he had finally caught his breath, "Voldemort…he went after you parents…"

"They're not…"

"No…they aren't dead…but they are hurt…Kal…"

She had turned from him, taken out her wand and aimed it at the nearest tree. With a quick movement, she brought her wand around, sent her spell at the tree. The 50 foot tall tree exploded.

"I told them…he knew…she knew…moving back was the wrong thing to do…" she started to mumble, lowering her wand.

Sirius stepped up to her, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned on a dime, more anger in her eyes than he had even seen. Dripping with hatred, they barely softened as she looked at him. "Voldemort will pay someday...I'll make sure of it."

* * *

So...whadya think? I think...you should review and let me know :-D..pretty please...


	13. Sorting The Details

Dun dun daaaa...here's some more

* * *

Kalina closed her eyes, her anger began to fade, and pain was setting in. She let the cold sink into her skin and relax her. When she opened her eyes, she saw concern etched into the steel grey eyes in front of her. She sat down in the snow, and Sirius squatted down to be at her eye level.

"Kal…let's go inside. I'm sure that the Professors are going to want to talk to you. Ok Kal?" he said, reaching out to grab her hand.

"Sirius…not…not yet...I don't want to talk to anyone…rather the Professors…about it yet…I just need to walk around outside…and…talk…around the lake." she said softly.

"Let me walk with you at least then…it would be probably be more fun to talk to me than no one." he said with a slight smile.

She grabbed his hand and he pulled her to her feet. They walked over by the lake and started to slowly make their way around. Her hands in her pockets; Kalina was the first to break the silence.

"I haven't told you about my parents have I?" she asked.

"No. But then again, we don't really talk about families too much. We are usually too busy pulling pranks, and going marauding with Moony. We are a family, a weird one, a very eccentric one, but a family. And besides that, my family is really screwed up and I hate them, so I usually avoid talking about them."

"Well…I bet my family could beat your family on the weird thing…you see, my parents move around a lot, and not only just because we like moving, but because of their jobs. My dad," she said, looking around to make sure it was just Sirius and herself, "is an amazing auror who also works in the Department of Mysteries all over the world. My mum works mostly in the Department of Mysteries, but she also is an auror. She and my father were partners before they got married, and still are. My parents have been into a lot of dangerous stuff, I'm not really sure what, but those dangerous things have required them to go out on missions; missions that sometimes require us to move afterwards. I don't know why we moved this time, but I knew that they had been working against Voldemort, and part of moving back had to do with him. I told them we shouldn't move again, but apparently they have managed to discover something big, and the Ministry requires them to be closer…I don't know what they discovered, and I didn't realize it was that big." she said, her voice still soft and worried.

Sirius absorbed all the information slowly, and decided to tell her more about his family. "My family is just plain screwed up. My parents are pure-blood fanatics. They are darker wizards than most, and most definitely are Voldemort supporters. My brother, I'm almost positive, is a Deatheater; and my mum is severely disappointed in me. I was the first Black ever to not be in Slytherin, and the worst house in her opinion was the one I was put in to. I am friends with "lower" blood people, and it irks her to no end. So, I ran away from home last summer, I was so bloody tired of the pure-blood fanaticism in my parents house that I left. And I won't go back. That place is one of the darkest in the wizarding worlds, I'm sure of it." he said

They were silent for a few moments as Kalina digested what she had just heard from Sirius. They found themselves on the far side of the lake they had not really been keeping track of where their feet had been taking them.

"Kal…I know this may seem like a weird time to bring up the thing from this afternoon, in the Common Room…" he started.

"Yeah…ummm" she said.

"Kal…I just want…need…to know…if you meant it." he said, finishing his first thought.

Kalina took a deep breath, and bit her lower lip. He waited, hoping that the answer that was coming wasn't going to split his heart in two.

"Sirius…"

"_Here it comes he thought…she's going to say no, and then I'll have to make a joke out of it."_ Sirius thought to himself.

"Sirius…" she took a deep breath, "Y…yes…I do love you." she finished, blushing crimson.

Sirius let his breath out slowly, trying not to make it obvious that he had been holding it. He knew what he wanted to say, not sure if he could. But then again, she had managed it.

"Kal…I love you too." he said, trembling slightly.

She looked up; the sadness fading from her eyes. He pulled her close in a tight hug. "So now that we've admitted this…what do we do?" Kalina asked.

"What do you mean…we date…I mean…what else?" he said, taken aback.

"Well…what about Peter…if he really meant what he said…I don't know him well enough to know if he would act on his threats…" she started to point out.

"No, I know what you mean. I know him really well, but he hasn't been himself lately, and now I'm not so sure that he wouldn't. And the last thing that I would want is for him to hurt you…what do you think?" he said.

"Well," she said, biting her lip, "I think…that we should do what we want…umm…date…whatever … but, just kind of keep it to ourselves…you know?"

"So, a secret from everyone?" he asked.

"Yeah…everyone…not even the rest of the Marauders can know…they can have their suspicions…but let's just not confirm them." she said.

"Ah…I'm in love with a woman with the mind of a true Marauder." he smirked at her and would have kissed her, except Kalina nodded her head to the side, and he looked to his left to see James coming their way. "Argh…so maybe this will be harder than I thought." he said mischievously.

"Hey guys!" James yelled, "McGonagall and Dumbledore needs Clips. They want to talk to her."

"Let's go. You should stop stalling Sirius…making me take a walk…" she said playfully, denial heavy in her voice, obviously not wanting to have the upcoming discussion with the Professors, "Thanks…for taking a walk with me…" she said, she was in front of him, walking backwards.

They caught up with James and they headed back to the castle, an awkward silence between the three.

As they walked back into the castle, they were greeted by Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter, you may return to the Common Room." McGonagall said, "and Mr. Black…"

"Mr. Black will stay." Dumbledore interrupted, "I believe that will be alright with you Miss Daniels?"

"Yes sir. Thank you." Kalina said as James went around the corner towards the main staircase.

"Come with me both of you, and we'll go into Professor McGonagall's office, it is much closer than mine." said Dumbledore.

Dumbledore and McGonagall turned and headed for her office, and Sirius and Kalina fell in behind them. Once they got to McGonagall's office, they entered, and Dumbledore conjured up comfortable chairs for them to sit in.

"Miss Daniels. Before I begin, I must ask you; do you trust Mr. Black completely?" Dumbledore asked.

"I trust Sirius with my life." Kalina replied immediately.

"Good; because what is said tonight should not ever leave this room. Do you both understand?" he asked Kalina and Sirius.

They both nodded and replied, "Yes sir."

"Well then, I suppose you have already been notified of your parents being injured," he paused and Kalina nodded, "In most cases we would allow students to leave, especially since we are on Christmas Holiday, but in your case they won't allow it."

"They, sir?" Sirius interrupted.

"Yes, they, Mr. Black." Dumbledore said.

"They as in…?" Sirius questioned.

"They as in Miss Daniels' parents' bosses, the Ministry, and potentially the people who attacked them. Allowing her to leave could place her in danger's way." Dumbledore replied, "Now, if I may continue; I'm sure Miss Daniels has been wracking her mind about things they have been doing, trying to find a reason why they would have been attacked."

Kalina nodded her head, "All I could think of was the project they had been working on that required us to move here."

"You are correct in thinking that. Their current project got them very deep into Voldemort's world. They were getting information that was vital to the war effort. I can't obviously give you all the details, but the information that they were getting was getting consistently darker, and even more informative. They were letting us know that there may be spies within the schools and within the Ministries. They also informed us that they had found out that Voldemort marks his followers with the same mark that they shoot into the sky when they kill. It is a slight variation of the Protean Charm, and is a mark on their arms. When Voldemort touches the mark on any of his followers' arms, it burns black and his followers are to immediately apparate to him. This explains how he can gather his full strength together so quickly when we move to fight him. The Daniels we not Deatheaters, but when the followers found out that there may be more to them than they originally thought, they decided not to risk it, and decided to torture them to death. Unfortunately for the Deatheaters, the Daniels were not as compliant as they had hoped, and fought with the Deatheaters, making the curses that were being used by the Deatheaters not nearly as powerful as they had wanted. Unfortunately, some of the curses have caused Miss Daniels' parents to tell secrets that no one should know, so another Unmentionable is with them in St. Mungo's, but it is impossible for you to see them at this time." he finished.

Kalina face was blank, her jaw clenched. Sirius just looked angry and amazed all at the same time.

"The other thing is, Miss Daniels, that the Death Eaters may employ their supporters within this school to hurt you, or those you are particularly fond of," he paused, looking at Sirius when he said the last part, "and I wish to make sure that you are ready in case someone approaches you with threats. They may try to come after you in order to get back at you parents."

"Headmaster," Professor McGonagall said, "I believe that perhaps these two should go up to Gryffindor Tower to absorb all of this information." she paused, and Sirius' stomach growled, "Besides, I do believe that they have missed lunch."

"Yes indeed." he said, "Go and eat, and absorb what I have said. You both know where to find me when you have questions.

* * *

Well...What did you think? I hope you liked it...more shall be revealed in the next chapters...I know it's still _pretty_ light right now...but it's going to get darker...

REVIEW! pretty please?


	14. Mistake

Well...I know what's about to happen...sooooo...I'll let you all loose to read my ramblings and then tell me how much you can't believe I that...

* * *

It had been two weeks since Dumbledore had told her about her parents, since they had been attacked, and she still had no questions to ask Dumbledore.

It had been two weeks. Two weeks since she had told Sirius she loved him, since he had told her he loved her too. And tonight was the full moon, the first chance she would have to tease him openly in two weeks.

Sirius watched as Kalina went to go to breakfast. If only he could hug her, smell her hair, hold her hand, look at her eyes without accusing stares from James, Remus and Peter. Especially Peter. Sirius lived for the secretive, loving looks she'd manage to give him when no one was looking.

He must have had a glazed look on his face because the next thing he heard was James. "Earth to Sirius Black! Hellooo?" he said, snapping his fingers in front of Sirius' face, "Come in Sirius Black."

"Sorry James, just thinking about potential pranks." he replied, trying to cover the fact that he had been staring.

"Sure. Obviously one that has to do with Clips from all the staring you've been doing." James sniggered.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Yeah right...we already tried pranking her…she got us back way too quickly…"

"Jamesy!" a sarcastic voice sounded from across the room.

James looked up turning red, and he turned towards the voice. Lilly was standing over by the portrait hole.

"Uh…umm…I have to go to breakfast guys." James said.

"We'll come with you two." Remus said.

"Wouldn't want you two," Sirius began.

"To get lost Jamesy." Remus finished, a wicked smile plastered on his face.

The boys stood up, and James gave them a dirty look.

They went down to the Great Hall, and Sirius stopped dead in his tracks at the giant doors. Kalina was standing in the aisle way, and Lucius and Severus were prowling around, trying to intimidate her. Her body was tensed, and her jaw was clenched.

Severus seemed to say something to Kalina, and she replied back. Sirius' feet finally un-glued from the floor; he walked over to them with long strides.

"Lucius…Snivellus…do we have a problem?" he asked.

Snape looked up as though to comment, but closed his mouth with a look from Lucius.

"No blood-traitor. No problem at all. Just having a little conversation with the blood-wench. " said Lucius icily, "Let's go Severus."

Lucius and Severus turned and walked away towards the awaiting seats next to Bellatrix and Narcissa.

Sirius glanced to Kalina, her eyes telling him she was annoyed, and, to his horror, fearful as well. He nodded his heads towards the table and she went to sit down with the rest of the Marauders. Remus was sitting next to Mel, and James was across from Lilly. There was only a spot on either side of Peter left, and Kalina chose the one on Peter's left.

They all started talking in low voices about some topic or another; using some of the code that the original four Marauders had come up with.

Sirius sat brooding, "What did those two prats say to scare her?" he wondered. He didn't care so much about that right then though. He knew how to get Lucius back, it would be too easy. But how to get Snivellus back...the prat was always following the Marauders around, eavesdropping, trying to figure out secrets like where Remus was going every month. That was it! He knew what he had to do. For the rest of breakfast, he caught only bits and pieces of the conversation while he basked in planning.

In accordance to Sirius' plan, Sirius and James were walking out of the Great Hall just as Severus was. Sirius and James were talking quietly, Sirius steering where they were walking, keeping them just behind Severus.

They turned the corner to find it deserted; it was the corridor by the Humpback Witch statue that concealed the passageway to Honeyduke's. Then, Sirius noticed a not-so-well-hidden Severus just down the hall, and he raised his voice, changing the conversation to the one he needed Severus to hear.

"So James. Tonight's the night; we're going out with Remus. What time should we meet at the tunnel at the base of the Whomping Willow?" he asked in a very loud voice.

"Quiet Pad. Tonight at about 5:45 or 6:00. He's going down at about 4, it's getting darker earlier these days." he said very quietly, as thought to compensate for Sirius being so loud.

Sirius looked at his watch; not yet lunchtime. "And Pete will use a long branch to prod that knot on the tree that makes it freeze, and then we'll go through the tunnel." he said in his loud voice.

James gave his best friend a suspicious look. "Pad, lower you voice mate. And you know what Pete does, why are you not saying it? What's up?" he said lowly, even more suspicious than before, "Is there someone listening?"

"Nah…I don't think so…but you'll see later. Let's go to class." Sirius said, trying to control the evil smile on his face, his voice low again.

"Oh, didn't you hear at breakfast? Classes are canceled. The divination and transfiguration classroom roofs collapsed. And I heard something about Gryffindor Tower, but I'm not sure. Apparently they have to lift a number of spells on the school to fix it, and they can't today for some reason or another." James said, still suspicious of Sirius.

"So…" Sirius started, thinking of what opportunities the day held, as they walked past the Room of Requirement, "Let's go back to the Common Room."

They went back up the staircase to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and James gave the password (Jelly Bean Barf). They walked in to hear screams, and a crash. James and Sirius quickly ran into the main room, and saw wooden blocks scattered all around the room, everyone relaxing, and Kalina, Mel, and Lilly looking wet and sitting there in big, baggy clothing. Sirius recognized his shirt on Kalina.

"Accio Jenga!" she suddenly yelled.

All the wooden blocks suddenly pulled themselves towards her, and with a small flick of the end of her wand, they piled themselves up in a tower again.

Kalina caught sight of Sirius out of the corner of her eye and jumped up, the sleeves of the blue flannel shirt she was wearing rolled up, and ran towards them, a big grin plastered on her face.

"Kal…" James started.

He never got to finish his thought, because Kalina bowled into Sirius and him at that very moment.

"UGH!" Sirius said.

She smiled at them, and grabbed their wrists, dragging them over to the table. "Come play Jenga with us!"

They sat down around the table, and Kalina told them about how to play Jenga. James knocked the tower down a number of times when Lilly suddenly poked him in the sides, causing him to burst out laughing.

"So Kal…care to explain why you are wearing my flannel shirt?" Sirius asked, giving her a curious look.

"Well, they managed to get you boys' trunks before the roof fell in, but not in the girls' dorms. I was up there when the roof fell in in the girls' dorm, and I got soaked in snow and slush. I had a pair of jeans out, so I managed to save them, but I had no shirt. And so when they brought down the boys' trunks, I stole a shirt." She replied simply, raising an eyebrow at him as though asking _"Why, what stupid comment are you about to make?"_

"Ah." he said, then a look of shock registered on his face, "Wait! The tower roof collapsed?"

"Yeah…" she said, a slight smile on her face as she reminisced, "Dumbledore looked at it, and started to laugh, and managed to calm himself enough to say that we would just sleep in the common room; with McGonagall prowling around of course. " she finished, giving Sirius a sly look.

She said it just as Sirius went to grab another wood brick, and his hand crashed through the tower, shaking. He looked at his watch, and discovered that it was lunchtime. "LUNCH!" he suddenly yelled, causing the newly rebuilt tower to come crashing down as Mel went to grab the first brick.

He jumped up, and grabbed Kalina's hand, pulling her up. James and Lilly got up, and Mel came along with them.

"Wait up guys!" they heard from the corner.

They turned around to see Peter running after them. Kalina dropped Sirius' hand, which she had subconsciously still been holding. Peter caught up, and gave her a suspicious look, at which he received a cold stare from her blue eyes that looked almost white on the edges; as though edged in ice.

They started to head down towards the Great Hall, but before they reached the main staircase, Sirius grabbed Kalina's hand and dragged her down a different corridor. They turned down a second corridor, and proceeded to a mirror. Sirius looked up and down the corridor, and then took out his wand and whispered, "Dasni Bellum!" The mirror swung open like a door, and they walked in to find a well-lit corridor. As the door closed, Sirius pulled Kalina close, hugging her like he would never let go.

"Sorry, I just needed to hold onto you for a minute." he whispered.

He felt her smile on his shoulder, and as he loosened his grip on her, she leaned back a little, smiling at him, and whispered back, "I don't mind, just don't let go."

"I love you." he said, before leaning in to kiss her.

"I love you too…" she said before kissing him back, "but if we don't get to lunch, someone is bound to suspect something."

Sirius looked like he was about to protest, but closed his mouth when he realized how right she was.

They went down to join the others in the Great Hall, managing to catch up with them, only to find out that Dumbledore had decided to have everyone eat outside in the snow. They all trudged outside to find four house tables carved out of snow awaiting them. At first no one wanted to sit, but Mel did, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the chairs weren't cold at all. Sirius and Kalina sat down next to each other, and Sirius grabbed her hand under the table. He found his finger tracing the scar left on her hand from the night of the cognatus vinculum. His day was going well so far, he had set up a prank on Severus, had gotten a few moments alone with Kalina, and there was fresh pie at lunch, all five of the ones he ate settled well with him.

After lunch, they went and checked brooms out of the broom closet, and they had an airborne snowball fight. James, always the Quidditch fanatic, had dubbed it Quidball; and Sirius swore never to let him live the idea down, and then pummeled him with snowballs.

They went up to the castle at about 3:45, Sirius' spirits seemed to soar as they walked through the portrait hole. He ran to the window that faced the Whomping Willow and sat there, only sparing a glance at his watch.

Kalina and James exchanged a concerned look, Sirius had never done something like that before. Kalina went and sat down in her big leather chair by the window, and James sat on the armrest, both of them trying to figure out what Sirius was doing.

By about 4:15, Sirius had watched Remus sneak down and go through the tunnel, and he saw that the full moon had risen. At 4:20, he jumped up with a whoop.

"What!" James yelped, startled by his friend's reaction.

Sirius had a big grin on his face and seemed to be unable to speak, so he just pointed to the window as he sat down in the chair across from Kalina.

James jumped up, curiosity and suspicion overflowing. Kalina followed him. The moon was bright, and it looked like daytime outside. The moon-washed snow sparkled in the moonbeams, and it was easy enough to see what was out walking across the snow.

"Remus is already in the shack right?" James whispered so softly only Kalina and Sirius could hear, that was desperate hope in his voice that he was wrong.

Sirius, now sniggering slightly, nodded.

Kalina looked between the two best friends, Sirius looked overjoyed and mischievous, and James looked suspicious and looked as though something was connecting in his mind.

"What's Severus doing?" Kalina asked, confused.

"Sirius…tell me you didn't" James said, his voice still sounding as though he didn't want to accuse Sirius of what he was about to accuse him of.

"He deserves it." Sirius said, his voice cold and happy at the same time.

"Sirius! You knew? You purposely had us talk about Marauding when he was listening in!" James said, and then something else clicked in his mind, "That's why you were saying what you were saying! Sirius…he might…" James stopped speaking and paled.

"Die?" Sirius lent him.

James didn't even flinch, he just ran; right out of the portrait hole.

Kalina went back to the window, still not quite sure what was going on. Severus had been walking slowly, and a few minutes later, he reached the base of the Willow. James burst out of the castle and full sprint just as Severus found a long stick and froze the tree. Severus rushed into the tunnel, and James seemingly flew across the ground. He froze the tree and ran into the tunnel. Enough of the puzzle pieces fell into place, and she turned around.

Sirius was grinning, but it was a short-lived grin as he looked at Kalina's face. Her look could have frozen ice. He looked into her eyes, and found his insides go cold, and though freezing water was being pumped into his veins. His grin evaporated, and was replaced by an unreadable mask.

Her eyes were deep blue, almost purple, around her pupils, but they were white along the outside, which were edged in black. The Common Room slowly emptied as the Gryffindors went to dinner. When the last person left, Kalina finally said something.

Her voice was deadly soft, "Sirius. I can't believe you."

"What?" he said, trying to lighten the mood, but feeling the energy in the room crackle as he shrug it off.

"You tried to kill Severus." she said, her voice getting deadlier by the second, the tension in the room emanating from her.

Sirius tried to sit up and to not flinch under her glare, but he was failing, "He threatened you. He might be one of those blokes that Dumbledore is referring to! He deserves everything he gets."

The energy crackled again, and the fire flared a bit, "You made it so someone could consider that you attempted murder. Preconceived murder at that." she said.

Sirius flinched. "You might make it so the others who might be spies, will take their revenge on me." she said, wounding him with the thought that she might get hurt.

James came into the room. "Sirius. He saw him. He saw Remus." was all that he said, before he found a chair to sit in.

Fire and ice danced in Kalina's eyes. When she spoke again, her voice was nowhere near as quiet, but still just as deadly.

"YOU HAVE NOT ONLY PUT ME IN DANGER, BUT ONE OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS!" she screamed.

Sirius and James both jumped a mile. "Clips...Kal…" Sirius began, trying to calm her down.

"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO CALM ME DOWN! I HAVE EVERY RIGHT IN THE WORLD TO BE MAD AS HELL AS YOU! YOU LOWERED YOURSELF TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR FAMILY! THE PEOPLE YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE SCUM, THE WRETCHES OF THE EARTH!" she screamed at him.

"Kal…" Sirius tried to plead; he wasn't worried; he was scared. A part of him was waiting.

"Don't speak to me." she said, as tears began to stream down her face, the fire and ice still dancing, "You tried to kill someone. You…you…you would have killed him out of pure spite. You would have become one of the villains that want to take my life. And without remorse you would have. I don't want excuses Sirius. Nothing can make this better. **_You let go_**." she said, her voice soft again, now only full of sorrow.

A whisper came through the room. _"Illo nullus promitto"_ it said.

Kalina seemed to hear it, and responded, her voice cracking as she held back sobs, "But he did. He let go…"

Sirius felt his heart being ripped out. She still loved him, she wasn't denying that. But because he had become what he hated, and would have killed an innocent man because he detested him, he had let go. He hadn't thought about anything, he had taken the idea of Marauder to a new level, one that it wasn't supposed to go to. He felt like he had been punched in the gut, he was holding on to his control with every ounce of strength.

"Kalina…" he said softly.

"No Sirius," she said, and he looked up to see the fire and ice melt into oceans; endless oceans where she was drowning and he couldn't save her, "You let go…" she choked back a sob, and tears streamed down her face, dripping onto his flannel shirt, "You have lost my trust and my respect; but you still have my heart, and you are breaking it."

Her eyes delved into his grey ones, searching his very soul. Her anger and sorrow mixed, and said five last words before she ran out the door, "You let go…of me."

She ran out the portrait hole, and Sirius sat there shaking. What had he done? He leaned on his elbows, and covered his face with his hands, tears threatening to break free. He had lost her.

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Well? I know...take some time to digest what I've done...then come and review!


	15. I Do It For You

Now...I realize you probably won't read this...because you want to know what's gonna happen...so I'll keep it short...review!

**

* * *

**"Sirius. Mate. What just happened?" James asked.

It was dark, Sirius' world was dark. He pulled his hands away from his face. The light hurt his eyes. He remembered that Kalina had once told him that her name meant light. The irony hit him hard; dark and light. The light brought warmth, love, life into the darkness, and the darkness tried to get rid of the light. The darkness covered up the light, causing the light to give away. He was darkness; he would have let Severus die, hurting one of his best friends, potentially hurting his other best friends, and potentially putting the woman he loved in danger. And when the light had flared, the darkness had overcome it without trying; like a candle's flame that had been put out by antagonistic fingers. And like the pain that the candle's flame inflicted on the fingers; Kalina inflicted pain on his heart. The pain was deserved in both cases for trying to put the light out.

"Sirius? What did she mean by 'You let go'? What did she mean by 'You still have my heart'?" James asked, prying into Sirius' thoughts.

"I lost her James. I love her, and I lost her." Sirius said, suddenly standing up and beginning to pace, "I was a jackass, I may loathe Snape, but what I did…she's right."

Sirius looked James right in the eyes, "I let go."

"What do you mean mate? How can you lose what you don't have…and what do you mean 'I let go'?" James questioned.

"I did…she and I…we are…were…dating. I can't explain why I didn't tell you…why I couldn't tell you, but I let go of her. It's hard to explain what I mean, I just did…" Sirius looking frustrated, looked down, running his hands through his hair, his voice full of despair, "What did you do with Snape?"

"Okay…I won't pry anymore…I think I know what you mean…" James paused; preparing himself for the reaction Sirius was going to have, "Well…Snape saw Remus…in werewolf form. I took him to Dumbledore's office, and told Dumbledore all I felt he needed to know. I told him that I had seen Snape heading towards the Whomping Willow; and since I had long ago figured out that Remus was a werewolf, I ran out to save him. Dumbledore asked if anyone else knew, and I said that you did. Then Snape, having finally regained his voice, said that you had purposely fed him the information in order to kill him."

Those words sent a chill down Sirius' spine. "And then…?" Sirius prompted.

"And then Dumbledore, not really showing any emotion, said that he needed Snape to take a wizard's oath not to tell ANYONE about what Remus is. Snape protested at first; but Dumbledore convinced him in the end." James finished.

"Did Dumbledore comment on what Snivellus said about me?" Sirius asked.

"He just let it go really; as though he didn't hear it." James said, slightly disturbed at the lack of reaction from Sirius.

As James answered Sirius, McGonagall walked into the Common Room.

Sirius gulped. "Mr. Potter, if you'll excuse Mr. Black." she said, motioning to Sirius to follow her.

Sirius stopped pacing and followed her out the door. The trip to Dumbledore's office was a silent one, and a pit of foreboding was forming in Sirius' stomach.

They walked into Dumbledore's office, and Dumbledore motioned for Sirius to sit down. Then he signaled for McGonagall to leave.

As soon as she left, Dumbledore began to speak, "I have seen you in here twice this year now, for matters that are far more serious than the occasional school rules that you and your friends break." he stopped for a moment and sighed, "I am sure that by now, Mr. Potter has informed you of the allegations made against you Mr. Black."

Sirius nodded, "Yes, Sir. Mr. Potter has."

"These are very serious allegations Mr. Black. I will not ask you to verify or deny the allegations, as, if I do not know, I am not required to inquire further. And the reason as for why I do not wish to inquire further, is that, based on the terms I assume you based your actions; meaning protecting the life of your soul mate, I cannot blame you for what you did. Mind you, what I have just said and what I am about to say is off the record, and never occurred. The conversation I had with you and Miss Daniels about persons within this school, who may try to hurt her, was referring to a number of people, one such as Severus Snape; as I am sure you deduced based on the actions you took. Now, I will warn you once; although you are a smart and brave man, the best thing you can do to protect her is to sit back. In order to protect her, you must not give them reason to attack her, including you attacking them." Dumbledore paused, "Now, as I said, I will not ask you to confirm or deny what Mr. Snape has told me. I just want you to keep in mind what I have told you. And that is on the record."

Sirius sat there for a moment, letting everything Dumbledore had just said sink in. So, he had to just sit on his ass and not overreact and not "keep her safe" in order to keep her safe? Why did Dumbledore have to be so confusing? He wouldn't have to be there if he hadn't done what he did. Sirius thought to himself: "Why did I have to do that?"

"Um…Professor?" Sirius started.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, and folded his hands together, "Yes Mr. Black?"

"Professor…do you…um…do you think she'll forgive me?" Sirius finished quickly, his eyes pleading.

"Mr. Black…No man; wizard or muggle, has ever figured out the complex being that is a woman. What has gone on has made her furious at you as far as I can tell, and you must remember that hell hath no fury like an angry woman. I can't promise you that she'll forgive you, but if you don't try to get her forgiveness, you'll never know. It may take awhile for her to forgive you, if that's what she decides to do, and you have to let her do that. I hope that she does find a way to forgive you, everyone around you two can see that you are soul mates, and you'll end up together, whether you two fight it or not, you belong together. The dark and the light must come together."

Sirius just sat there gaping at Dumbledore. Had he really just said that?

"Goodnight Mr. Black. I hope you keep in mind what I spoke to you about this evening. Everything I spoke to you about."

Sirius walked out of the office, after nodding to Dumbledore and mumbling goodnight, thinking about what had gone on that night. He wandered aimlessly around the hallway; moonlight flooded the hallway mixing with starlight. It was really late, he had missed dinner, and he knew no one was going marauding tonight.

He let all of the thoughts and memories in his head sweep over him. As they washed over him, a song that was one of his favorites came to mind.

"_Look into my eyes you will see…What you mean to me…"_

He saw Kalina's eyes as clear as day looking at him; if only she were there.

"_Search your hear- search your soul…And when you find me there you'll search no more…Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for…"_

He meandered down the hallway…not really going anywhere, but making good time; just listening to the words in his head.

"_You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for…You know it's true…Everything I do…I do it for you…"_

She was worth dying for, he knew that. He knew what he had done wasn't right, but she was worth everything.

"_Look into your heart you will find...There's nothin' there to hide…Take me as I am-take my life…I would give it all-I would sacrifice…"_

Why did she have to do this? He had just been trying to protect her, maybe not in the best way, but he was still doing it for her. All he could do though was wait.

"_Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for…I can't help it there's nothin' I want more…Ya know it's true…Everything I do I do it for you"_

Or was that all he could do?

"_There's no love like your love…And no other could give more love…There's nowhere unless you're there…All the time all the way…"_

Sirius was hit by sudden inspiration. He would have to wait for her to realize he had just been stupid, but it didn't mean that he had to sit back and wait patiently.

"_Oh you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for…I can't help it there's nothin' I want more…I would fight for you…I'd lie for you…Walk the wire for you… Ya I'd die for you…"_

The moonlight was shining in through the windows. Out of a door in between the windows came a shape. He found himself in the hall with the statue of the humpback witch. The figure seemed to have a rather large book in its hands. He was standing in the moonlight, and so he knew that they knew who he was. He wasn't sure what to do and then suddenly, the figure opened the book, and took a step back. Then it shook it's head, and took two steps forward.

"_Ya know it's true…Everything I do…I do it for you"_

And then the clock struck midnight.

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Please...tell me what you thought...keep in mind I'm a girl...so writing this from Sirius' point of view was killer...let me know how I did...please?


	16. Reminders

Now, just so you know...16 here is what Kalina is doing at the same time as Sirius

**

* * *

**

As she ran from the room, she wished that a hole would swallow her up. She kept running, and when she stopped, she found herself in front of the tapestry for the Room of Requirement. She began to pace…once…twice…three times, and then a door appeared. She stopped pacing, and reached a trembling hand out to grab the doorknob.

Kalina opened the door to find bookshelves full of books, a hammock, and sand on the floor. She took a step forward and her shoes were gone. She looked around and shut the door; it became the door to a cabana hut. There was a campfire out in front, and little lanterns were strung in the rafters. The sun was setting, and Kalina could hear the waves lapping against the shore. The sand was cool on her feet. She went and lay down in the hammock, wiping her face on the sleeve of Sirius' shirt. A big black leather book came floating over. She wiped her face off again, and grabbed the book out of the air. A warm breeze came through the cabana. Being in the cabana calmed her down and she managed to stop crying. As she opened the first page, her anger melted.

There was a picture in the center of the page with the words "Verus Amor" at the bottom with vines underling them, intertwining and wrapping up to the top and then slowly dripping down into the bottom corners, forming delicate hearts. The picture was what made her melt though. The picture was of her and Sirius, holding hands. It was on a Hogsmeade weekend. The picture zoomed in for a moment to show their intertwined fingers; hers briefly pulling away; as the picture panned back, Sirius pulled her into him with a spin. He kissed her on the cheek and then he dipped her over his arm and pulled her back up and kissed her. Then it repeated, and a song played softly:_ "It's amazing how you…can speak right to my heart…"_

Kalina smiled softly, and turned the page; the first picture was a picture of two paw prints, a small, more feminine version, inside the larger one. Both paws were fitting together perfectly. _"Without saying a word…you can light up the dark…"_ And snowflakes fell above the paw prints. The second picture was of two bear-like dogs running full out in the snow. The smaller beating the bigger who was about to pounce. _"Try as I may…I could never explain…what I hear when you don't say a thing.."_

The third page had a picture of the two dogs looking at the crescent moon. _"The smile on your face lets me know that you need me…"_ The second picture had a close-up of steely-grey eyes, and dark blue eyes close together, their owners smiling. _"There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me…The touch of you hand says you'll catch me, wherever I fall…"_ The picture was of Kalina with her arm around Sirius' neck, and his arm around her waist. Kalina's head was resting on his shoulder, wisps of hair in her eyes; black hair in his face as he looked down at her, concern in his eyes.

She turned the page to see a picture of she and Sirius watching the stars, sitting in her big chair in the Gryffindor Common Room, _"You say it best…when you say nothing at all…"_, Their fingers intertwined playing a game of thumb war. _"All day long I can hear people talking out loud…But when you hold me near; you drown out the crowd…"_

The next picture was of the whole group playing twister, and sliding in their socks, Sirius and Kalina had secretive looks on their faces. Remus and James were giving them weird looks. _"Try as they may, they could never define…what's been said between your heart and mine…"_

She turned the page again, looking at different pictures. _"The smile on your face let's me know that you need me… there's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me; the touch of you hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall…you say it best…when you say nothing at all…"_

Page after page, as though someone had searched her memories; there the pictures were, reminding her. A snapshot of grey eyes with strands of black hair here, a kiss on the neck there; her favorite memories of Sirius pasted on the page in front of her.

There was a picture of the two of them dancing at the Ministry Ball, and the first to last page had a picture of she and Sirius walking in a creek, holding hands. Her hair was braided in two braids, she had her jeans rolled up, and was wearing a white shirt under one of Sirius' flannel shirts. He had his jeans on, and they were soaked at the bottom; he had a steel-grey shirt on underneath a jean jacket; his black hair was falling into his face. _"Oh…The smile on your face lets me know that you need me…There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll n-e-v-e-r leave me…" _The smiles on their faces were big, their hands tight. The real Kalina let a tear drop from her eye. _"A touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall…"_ The picture versions of Sirius and Kalina smirked at each other and simultaneously splashed the camera. _"You say it best…when you say nothing at all…That smile on your face…the truth in your eyes…The touch of your hand let's me know that you need me…"_ Kalina loved the picture, but didn't ever recall actually doing when the picture showed. In fact, now that she looked closer, they did look different.

The song ended, and Kalina turned the page. Four words, handwritten, were at the top of the page; "It's up to you." The picture below was basically blank. There were a few cloudy shapes in the corner appearing, but nothing defined.

She set the book down, and it floated back into the air. She got up out of the hammock, and walked over by the fire. "WHAT-HAVE-I-DONE!" she suddenly wailed into the darkness. She started to listen, and with a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, she listened to her consciences duke it out.

"She has a right to be mad. He was going to kill someone." the devil said.

"He hadn't thought it through. He did it to protect you." the angel calmly countered.

"That's what he says…but who can trust a murderer?" said the devil, hitting Kalina's weakness for ultimate trust.

"He didn't murder Snape!" the angel practically screamed, "And she can trust him because she loves him!"

"Love is blind!"

"Love is pure! Love is trust, and support, above anything! The boy needs a second chance…he isn't a cold-blooded murderer…he didn't let go m'dear, he lost hold, and he is scrambling to get it back. He needs you now, just as you need him!" the angel reasoned, a little calmer.

"But he could get you killed because of his actions." the devil came back.

"You shouldn't be worried about yourself. He will keep you safe. Be mad at the stupidity of his actions, but not because he might hurt you. He would never hurt you, and you must forgive him for his mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, and no human is perfect. You don't have to forgive him this second, but you will forgive him eventually. You love him! And your heart won't allow you to hurt the both of you." the angel said calmly.

Kalina stopped listening to her consciences; she had decided what she would do. The leather book came over to her again, and when she took it out of the air; it fell open to the last page. Kalina was startled to see some more of the picture was visible, not much, but some.

She got up off the ground, and brushed the sand off of herself. She took the book and opened the door; as she stepped out her shoes reappeared and she took one last look at the cabana, knowing she'd be back often, and then shut the door.

She turned around and saw a figure coming towards her. She froze in the shadows by the door, and the book opened to the last page again. She knew the figure, and it had stopped moving. She hoped he hadn't figured out it was her yet; she wasn't ready to face Sirius. Kalina took a step back, and glanced at the picture; more of it disappeared. She shook her head and decided to try something. Kalina took two steps forward, and glanced at the picture again; more of the picture had appeared. She shut the book, and looked at Sirius; his posture showed he was anticipating an attack, his face was blank, but his eyes were filled with grief, remorse, and mostly; loss. Kalina's heart dropped into her stomach.

Kalina knew right then whether or not she would forgive him. And then; the clock struck midnight.

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Umm...what to say...Review and then read on! Oh...and let me know which picture was your favorite! 


	17. Chance

Sooo...here you go! (I'm running out of funny things to say...posting too many chapters at once I suppose...:-P)

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DONG!

_"It's her"_

DONG!

_"Can I do it?"_

DONG!

_"Will she forgive me?"_

DONG!

_"Am I doing the right thing?"_

DONG!

_"Will she hate it?"_

DONG!

_"Should I show him?"_

DONG!

_"Will it work?"_

DONG!

_"Should I run?"_

DONG!

_"Will she run?"_

DONG!

_"Will he do it again?"_

DONG!

_"Will she ever trust me?"_

DONG!

The silence in the corridor was deafening and the two stood stock still seeming to hold their breath, staring each other in the eyes. Kalina bit her lower lip, and Sirius pushed the hair out of her face. The silence was broken by the lonely howl of a werewolf. Their saving grace was Dumbledore, who came walking down the hallway.

"Miss Daniels? Mr. Black? I believe it is time for you to be back in Gryffindor Tower…would you mind if I accompany you both? I must speak to Professor McGonagall." Dumbledore said, motioning for them to come with him.

They soundlessly moved to follow Dumbledore, each walking on separate sides. Dumbledore seemed to sense the tension between the two, and let them stay silent. They reached the portrait; Sirius said the password, ("Hawkeye"), and they walked in to find what looked like recently abandoned chaos. Dumbledore turned to Kalina and Sirius, "I'm sure that you both will inform your classmates that classes are canceled this week." Dumbledore stated.

A huge cheer went up from the "sleeping" figures. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Professor McGonagall will be patrolling later, well, this morning; and your prefects are in charge to make sure that people keep themselves under control; in every manner." he said, looking at Kalina as though reading her thoughts.

James jumped up out of the little nook he had built, "What the hell are we waiting for then…PAR-TAY!" he yelled.

The rest of the Gryffindors jumped up; Dumbledore just smiled and left. Sirius turned to say something to Kalina, but she wasn't there. Sirius looked around for her, but before he could spot her, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Sirius turned to see James, a questioning look on his face, as though asking if everything had gone well with Dumbledore. Sirius forced a mischievous grin onto his face and gave James a thumbs-up. James then proceeded to drag Sirius over to a table where he had a setup for playing music. He turned on the music…flicked his wand, and all the furniture disappeared.

"HEY CLIPS!" James suddenly yelled across the Common Room as the music gradually grew louder.

Sirius saw Kalina hand the book she had with her to Lilly before she fought her way through the crowd over to where the boys were.

"Prongs…what the hell are you doing?" Sirius suddenly asked.

James gave him a wicked smile as Kalina came up to them. "You'll see…" he muttered, just as Kalina came level with the boys, "Clips. Will you go with Pad and get some food for this party?"

"Umm…Prongs…" she started

James turned the song to Footloose, and interrupted her, "You two can take the invisibility cloak…I would go…but someone has to play D.J…and he can't do it on his own…he wouldn't get anything good…"

"Prongs…" Sirius said; a hint of warning in his voice.

"Here's the cloak…get going!" he told them, handing Kalina the cloak and pushing Sirius at her while forcing the Marauder's map into Sirius hands.

They walked over by the portrait hole, and Kalina swung the cloak around the two of them. They snuck out of the portrait, Sirius occasionally checking the map as they went through tapestries, avoiding corridors and stairwells as much as possible. At one point Kalina forgot to listen, and Sirius had to grab around her waist to stop her from walking into the corridor where Mrs. Norris was prowling about. She leaned back against him…feeling whole again…and then pulled away as best she could under the cloak; removing his arm from around her waist. They continued down to the lower levels to the portrait of the fruit bowl. Sirius reached out and tickled the pear, and they snuck into the kitchen.

Kalina swept the cloak off and moved away from Sirius. He felt like she had punched him in the gut. She went and spoke to the head elf and moments later large amounts of food and Butterbeer and Pumpkin juice were being brought over to her. She slid it all into the shrinking bag that they gave her, and then backing away bowing low. She tied up the bag, and the bag itself shrunk even more, small enough to fit in her pocket. She came back over to Sirius who swung the cloak onto the both of them walking out of the door to the kitchen. As they came back up the stairs into the hall in front of the Great Hall; Filch, Mrs. Norris and the Bloody Baron came right at them. Sirius did the only thing he could do; he backed into a little nook, Kalina spun around, and he pulled her into him, making them as small as possible.

She was snug against him, her head lying on his chest; his arms holding her tightly around the waist. She could hear every beat of his heart. God! She felt so safe in his arms, and she tightened her arms around his torso. She knew the group was right by them from the quickening of his pulse and his body tensing. Then she heard the Baron and Filch speaking: "…can't believe that Dumbledore won't allow to go after those 'Marauders' and why in the world he won't let me get rid of Peeves…Neither do I Argus…neither do I…", and then their voices faded. She almost relaxed and let her breath out when she heard a meow and a hiss.

After a few more minutes, Sirius relaxed his grip, and the two moved away from the nook as quickly as they possibly could to try and avoid another encounter with Filch. They were in the homestretch when Sirius suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her back quickly, covering her mouth with his other hand. His heart was pounding, and he seemed to be holding his breath.

Peeves came floating in front of them, swinging a mace. She un-tensed and Sirius removed his hand, but put it around her waist. They waited for Peeves to pass, and then they dashed up to the portrait; and told the Fat-Lady the password, once they were inside, Sirius pulled the cloak off of them. There was a song playing in the background. _So you figure that you've got him all figured out…He's a sweet talking stud…who can melt a girls' heart with his pout….He' the kind of lover that the ladies dream about…_Kalina picked up on the words as she and Sirius tried to calm their heart rates. He gave her a lopsided grin that made her go weak at the knees, and said, "Well…that was fun…"

_He's got plenty of cash…he's got plenty of friends…he drives women wild...then he drives off in a Mercedes Benz...he's got a long wick with a flame at both ends...He's hot..._ Kalina smiled at him, amazed at how clear the lyrics were to her, "Yeah...I guess..." she said, biting her lower lip in a smile that made his breath catch.

_But don't let him go...Just give him a chance to grow...take it easy-take it slow...and don't let him go...and don't let him go..._ They walked over by an empty wall where Sirius conjured a large table as Kalina got the bag un-tied. _He makes you so angry…He makes you so sore…the wait may be worth it…But how can you wait anymore…when you're wonderin' what you're waitin' for…Baby I don't know…But don't let him go…Just give him a chance to grow…Take it easy, take it slow…And don't let him go…But don't let him go…Just give him a chance to grow…take it easy, take it slow…And don't let him go…Don't let him go… _Kalina considered showing him the book right then, but just couldn't yet...she was wasn't sure. She just kept handing him the good from inside the bag. When the bag was empty, she went back over by Lilly and Mel.

"Hey; anything interesting happen?" Kalina asked.

"No, we looked through the book again…and when you two left, that picture in the very back got some more detail to it. Some light lines…shapes outlined…" Mel said, handing the book to Kalina.

_Baby don't let him go…He just needs a chance to grow…take it easy, take it slow…and don't let him go…Don't let him go…_

She looked at the picture, and saw the delicate lines that were outlining figures.

"Kal…you have to show him…look…" Lilly said, pointing towards the D.J. stand.

Kalina looked and saw Sirius looking at her, James was trying to make him laugh, but Sirius was focused on her. James turned to the next song as the last one repeated out. Kalina closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and time seemed to stand still for a moment as she looked into his grey eyes, then time began to move again. She stood up and walked towards the D.J. stand. Sirius' look changed; he looked slightly confused; he lifted an eyebrow at her. As she came up onto the stand, she said to Sirius, "Pad; I need to talk to you." she paused, "And show you something. Now." Kalina turned and walked off the stand, Sirius following.

She led him over to the little nook that James had built; it hadn't been put away. Sirius sat down on the floor and Kalina sat up close to him, making Sirius jump a bit. She opened the book, and silenced it before it could sing. She let hi turn the pages one by one, not commenting, even though some new pictures had turned up; ones from Sirius' memory. His brow furrowed as he turned to the page with the tow of them walking in the creek. "We haven't…have we…" Sirius couldn't seem to find his words.

"No…look closer though…" she said, pointing at the picture.

He looked closer, his finger pointing to the small things that she had also noticied; the scars on her face, the slightly sunken look to his face, she had a number of tattoos on her arm, as did he, hair was longer, and both had a look of being weary on their faces, war weary possibly, and they also seemed a bit older.

Sirius shook his head slightly, a little confused, and decided to turn the page. "What the.." he started, looking at the beginnings of the picture.

"I don't know, but I think…that it means we decide our future. Whenever I, we, do one thing that affects one portion of my future, our future," she paused, and he looked at her; a questioning look on his face, "more of the picture appears, but when I, we, backtrack, some of the picture disappears."

"You said we…our…" he said, obviously searching for the answer he was hoping for.

"Sirius…I still can't believe that you would do that…" she paused, moved the book, and moved around to kneel in front of him, her eyes pleading with him, "I need you to tell me…that…that you won't kill anyone out of spite, or try to kill anyone, even inadvertently out of spite…I won't ask you not to kill; I know how harsh reality is, with Voldemort and all, and I know you will do something that will defend our societies and that will be what your job is…but you won't be doing that for spite, but because you want to protect our societies…I just need to know that you won't…" she paused again, and Sirius could tell she was having a hard time finding words to suit her plea, "fall away…let go…become someone you hate…tell me…no promise me…promise me you won't."

Sirius grabbed her hands in his, his fingers easily slipping between hers, "Kalina…I promise…I made a stupid mistake and I won't do it again…no revenge is worth what I would have become…I love you too much to ever think of losing you again like I thought I would last night…" he paused, James started the next song, and then Sirius pulled her closer; bringing them forehead to forehead, nose to nose, his arms linked around her waist, "I promise you; I will never kill in cold-blood…I'm not that type of person…I'm not my family's type of person…"

_It still feels like the first night together…Feels like the first kiss…it's getting' better baby…no one can better this…still holding on and you're still the one…first time our eyes met-the same feelin' I get…Only feels much stronger and I wanna love you longer…You still turn the fire on…_

"Kalina…I love you so much…I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you…" Sirius said, and then he kissed her.

_So if you're feelin' lonely don't…You're the only one-I'd ever want…I only wanna make it good…So if I love ya a little more than I should…Please forgive me-I know not what I do…Please forgive me-I can't stop lovin' you…_

"Sirius; I overreacted…I love you too, you have my whole heart," Kalina replied, "and you will forever."

Kalina sat back on her toes, and then stood up pulling Sirius up with her, "So what now Pad? Do we go back to being like we were…or do we let people realize we're dating?" she asked.

Sirius ran a finger along the scar on her face, "I think…we can let James, Lilly, Remus, and Mel know…the Professors who need to know…and we can act like we're dating, but without being real obvious…especially around Pete and those certain others…"

"Sounds good…" she said, kissing him lightly.

_Don't deny me-this pain I'm going through…Please forgive me-if I need you like I do…Please believe me-every word I say is true…Please forgive me-I can't stop lovin' you…_

"We should probably go tell James…"Sirius suddenly said.

"Why?" Kalina asked, raising and eyebrow at him.

"Because…I accidentally told him we were going out earlier…and if we tell him know; the teasing won't last as long as if he finds out on his own." Sirius said, pushing on her hands to try and get her to back-up towards James.

"Teasing for who?" she asked, not budging, a mischievous grin spreading over her face, "Me…or you?"

The song had gone on and was on the last of it's verses as Sirius contemplated his answer. _One thing I'm sure of…is the way we make love…and the one thing I depend on…Is for us to stay strong…With every word and every breath I'm prayin'-That's why I'm sayin'…Please forgive me-I know not what I do…Please forgive me-I can't stop lovin' you…Don't deny me-this pain I'm goin' through…Please forgive me if I need you like I do…Babe believe me-every word I say is true…Believe me-every word I say is true…Please forgive me-I can't stop lovin' you…_

"Me probably" he answered, just as the song suddenly cut off and someone threw on a new song.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius saw James jump off the D.J. stand. "We should probably go tell James now." he said, as he turned Kalina around.

They ran to get to the front of the circle that was now forming. James was in the center; break dancing.

"Maybe not tonight." Kalina replied laughing.

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So there you go...let me know what you think...I couldn't keep them apart..they're like...umm...magnets! Review! 


	18. Dissention Into Darkness

Alright, as of 6/11/05 this is as far as I have gotten...so until the next chapter is up, you are officially caught up!

I hope you all like this chapter...after 17, these chapters have gotten to be a bigger pain in the side. 19 is definately being a pain, but hopefully it'll get better. I hope you all like!

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**It was 6 weeks after Sirius' "bone-head move of the century" (as Kalina called it). It had taken 4 weeks for Remus to start speaking to Sirius again, 1 more week for them to have to have the apology from the one accepted by the other, and the last week for the 5 Marauders to be back to normal.

Classes had resumed; Transfiguration was dull because the guest speaker and the Anim-Deprendo globe hadn't been able to come in. Though, Defense against the Dark Arts had finally become interesting; they were starting the illegal curses unit. And in Charms, they were now doing group research projects on charms and creating your own charms.

And it was the first Saturday of March; and a Quidditch game. If James got any more hyper and tense, either Sirius or Lilly planned to kill him.

James had been compulsively polishing his broom, and Sirius, Kalina, Mel, Remus, Peter and Lilly had been creating a house of cards. They had used 7 decks and Sirius was just adding the first two cards from the 8th deck when James suddenly jumped up and snatched for the broomstick he had just set down. His movement startled Sirius and all 366 cards fell to the ground in large piles. Kalina's face turned bright red from holding in giggles as she looked at Sirius' slowly darkening face. James barely even noticed the anger bubbling on his friend's surface, as he had found a small smudge on his broomstick.

"Immobulus!" Kalina suddenly yelled as Sirius launched himself across the table.

Sirius froze, and everyone except James and Sirius broke down laughing. James seemed to be startled out of a trance; "What happened?" he asked, getting only louder laughs in response.

Pulling Sirius into her chair, Kalina mumbled "Finite Incantantem".

Sirius sat there fuming. "Come on…smile…"she said pleadingly to him.

He continued to fume, so, Kalina gave him an appraising look, a mischievous grin to their friends, and then attacked. She began to tickle him; she found his ticklish spot right away: his sides and stomach. He was laughing madly, as was everyone else at the sight. He tried to push her away, but her tickling seemed to make his arms powerless, although she did have to sit on his knees to keep him from rolling away. She continued until Sirius was yelping for her to stop.

Kalina stopped for a moment, "Say it."

Sirius was trying to catch his breath and so he shook his head. Kalina brought up her hands threateningly, "Say it." she said again.

Sirius had managed to sit up at this point, and was inching his arms forward. He grabbed her feet, and began to tickle her. Kalina's shrieks of laughter filled the tower. "Stop!" she giggled.

"Then you say it" Sirius said, his hair was falling in his face, as he started to tickle her again.

"No." she giggled, causing Sirius to tickle her more, "Fine!" she said.

Sirius stopped, and everyone's attention was focused on the two; the game had been played a lot in the last 6 weeks, neither one ever saying "it": the Marauders had even placed bets on them, most thinking Sirius would break first. But now, just as galleons were being traded, Kalina was going to say it.

Kalina took a deep breath, "It", she said with complete seriousness.

Sirius immediately started to tickle her again, the Marauders, Lilly and Mel were all extremely let down at the sudden change and that they hadn't found out what "it" was. Finally, Kalina couldn't take it anymore, "Stop!" she giggled, "I'll say it; Sirius Black…" she paused as she giggled.

She motioned for him to come and she'd whisper it to him, but he shook his head, "you have to say it out loud."

"Sirius!" she said incredulously.

He gave her a mischievous look.

"Fine" she sighed, exasperated, "Sirius Black is…is the lord of the tickle and the winner now and forever more…and is extremely cute."

Everyone laughed, those who knew about the two laughing hardest; Peter following blindly.

James looked at his watch and jumped, heading for the door. Kalina gave Sirius a look that asked; "Where is he going?"

Sirius checked his watch, "He's late for being 2 hours early."

They headed down to the pitch about 40 minutes before the game started so they could get good seats in the bleachers.

They walked on to the pitch to talk to the team. As they did, they came up to the Gryffindor team which surrounded about 20 Centaurs and Dumbledore.

Lilly saw James' stern face with concern etched all over it and moved over to him. The rest of the group moved forward, Kalina unintentionally reached out and grabbed Sirius' waiting hand.

"…brighter than I have seen it these past 16 years…Mars is soon to eclipse with the moon…a full moon…Dumbledore; the war will pick up this year…" the centaur said, suddenly turning towards Sirius and Kalina, "It will reach it's minimum in their 18th year, and will suddenly…" he said, turning to James and Lilly, "end in their 21st…Mars has never been as bright as it was last night…the stars burned…it is not safe for games like this today…he will send his minions…"

"Orion…" Dumbledore said, addressing the blood-red centaur, "I realize you are the protector of Mars…which is why I must ask…what else did it say?"

"It plays with the bears…hinting at a savior…what is else is far too unclear." Orion said, flicking his black tail, his gold hooves stomping the ground, "But what is clear is that a war is on the way…the deadliest war for the most innocent…"

"Orion…my friend and superior…I thank you…if you will excuse me for a moment…students…these games are postponed…please return to your dormitories. Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, Mr. Lupin, Miss Windsor, Mr. Black, Mr. Pettigrew, Miss Daniels, if I may speak to you, please stay for a moment…" Dumbledore paused as the rest of the people turned and left the stadium, "Orion…these were the ones to which you were referring?"

"Yes." Orion stated.

"Very well…what would you suggest I do?" Dumbledore asked; his face grim.

"Prepare them…the first of their battles will be sooner than anyone can guess…induct them…these people will play a big part in the war to come…and watch them…"

"They are already in Auror training…I don't think we can induct them yet…I shall confer with the rest…thank you Orion."

As the centaur walked back to the forest, his golden hooves left no marks. The rest of the centaurs followed after him.

"Come with me." Dumbledore said, and he turned, and they went up the stairs to the Gryffindor stands. He placed a charm over the stand to keep from being overheard. "Orion spoke to me about you all obviously. I assume you realize what war he is referring to, I have been trying to keep the school calm, blissful; no reason to worry everyone when the school is one of the safest places to be, but the war has been getting steadily worse. Lord Voldemort murders people everyday, muggles and wizards alike, those important enough of course, and his supporters kill even more. Masses of people…the Ministry does what it can…but…I …they need more help. I have been watching you all very closely, you are magnificent at magic. Your Defense against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions scores are fabulous and your potential seems boundless. Orion has obviously found out about you all…and has faith in you all for more…unknown…reasons." Dumbledore paused and looked at the group.

"Sir." Kalina suddenly interrupted, tightening her grip on Sirius' hand to a bone-crushing pressure, "Are you referring to what I think you're to?"

"Miss Daniels…how much do you know?"

Kalina gave Dumbledore a look as though asking him something; Dumbledore nodded, and she began, her grip still tight.

"I know that the Order of the Phoenix is a society that works closely with my parents, and that many of the missions they've been on are involved with have to do with the Order. The Order itself is headed by Professor Dumbledore, he recruits of-age and out-of-school wizards that are loyal and have the abilities; among other things as well…Professor Dumbledore and his members such as Alastor Moody…um…Professor McGonagall…my parents…they all work to go more-in depth I guess…in the war against Voldemort. They have spies…so on and so forth, some like my parents, inside the Ministry. We all know what a corrupt system we have in our government. They really are the first ones to know everything…and always the first to act…most of the Aurors are part of it…"

"Correct Miss Daniels. Orion thinks it may be 'pre-destined' that you all are part of it, and he thinks that it should begin soon; today even. And, although I do not usually think too much of the art of Divination and its sub-categories…I know Centaurs…and I agree with him. You can't be official members-and remember, this is not something I will 'force' you to be a part of-although-I would not offer it to you if I didn't think I already knew what your answer would be. I am giving you the ability to join when school is over and do what you can in the school." Dumbledore finished, and turned to face them again in time to see almost everyone's jaws on the ground, and then he added, "I know this is a lot, so if you are interested, I want to see you next week, and only one person at a time. You must not speak of this to anyone; even each other. You may go."

Dumbledore lifted the charm and walked out of the stands. James and Lilly left, then Remus and Mel, and Pete; all within minutes of Dumbledore's departure. Sirius stood up. He would have let her sit there all day, but the wind had gotten stronger, bringing in black clouds, lightning, thunder and rain. It started to rain big drops. Sirius pulled her up; and she stood there for a moment, then rushed forward and gave him a huge bear hug, burying her face into the spot between his neck and shoulder, standing on tiptoes.

Sirius pulled her close and kissed her cheek softly as they were pelted with rain.

"The Order is such a great thing…but I'm scared that it'll be the downfall of us all…I've seen what my parents have had to do…" she said.

Sirius pulled her closer, not know what to say except, "Let's go in babe…"

He took her hand, and they walked out of the stands towards the castle. He was worried about her, but there was a feeling in the pit of his stomach saying that there was someone else he should be worried about; and much sooner than he'd like.

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Well...Review! Pretty please? With sugar and chocolate and licorice and cookies and ice cream and whip cream and chocolate frogs on top?


	19. Act The Black

Bad, bad, bad me…I need to write down all the names of the fantabulous people who have reviewed so I can hand out their chocolate frogs…Anywho…It was requested that I write longer chapters…soo…this one is 17 pages on word…hopefully you all like it…I know I do. 20 and the ones following should be just as long; I'm liking long chapters…Thanks to whomever suggested it!

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**Chapter 19: Act the Black**

" Donovan, Manson and Malfoy

713 Benedict Drive

London, England

31st May

Mr. Black,

We regret to inform you that your Great-Uncle Alphard,(now referred to as the deceased), has passed away. Your legal guardians, (Mr. and Mrs. Black), are holding a gathering, at which time the will of the deceased shall be read to those included in the will. The gathering will be held at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. The burial will proceed the gathering, and the procession will begin from Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

It is important that you attend the gathering on the 4th of June of this year, as you are named in the will to inherit articles and other such things from your relative.

Sincerely,

Donovan, Manson and Malfoy; Attorneys at law"

Sirius read the letter over and over; slowly, word by word, grinding his teeth, cracking his toes and his thumbs. He ran his hand through his hair before he looked up again. His world seemed to be muted; they were in the Great Hall for breakfast and everyone around him was speaking but all he heard was a muffled din. He looked at the faces of each of his friends. Peter was watching everyone, following their every move, not wanting to be left out. Remus was shoving eggs in his mouth and looking at something in a book while talking with Mel who was studying every inch of Remus' face, smiling lightly. James had a mischievous grin on his face, doing to something to Lilly's feet under the table, between glances at Sirius and his letter. Lilly was wearing a look that was torn between annoyance and amusement, obviously retaliating with her feet. And then, there was Kalina. The last few weeks she had been changing; slowly, but surely being less lovey-dovey and more like she had been before the two of them had started to date. Not that she loved him any less, but she was, more-interesting sometimes he supposed. Kalina was the only one who seemed to be blocking out the world, because what was important to her was sitting with pain etched on his face. Her blue eyes reading him like a book, they gazed right into his soul. Her eyebrows were cocked at him, asking what was wrong. She bit her lower lip, concern evident in every detail of her usually calm face; the last straw for him. He motioned with his head to reach under the table, and he folded the letter and slid it into her hands. Kalina kept it under the table as she read what the attorneys had written. She looked up at him, her face unreadable, but her eyes telling him and asking him everything in the world.

They got up from the table and walked into the Great Hall. "Sirius? Are you okay?" Kalina asked immediately after they sat down on the stairs.

"I really despise most of my family members…but he was the only one who never cut me off. He made sure that I had money last summer…made sure the Potters could take me. The only family member who ever was on my side about the fanaticism in my house." Sirius said, seeming at a loss as to how to describe his Great-Uncle.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Kalina asked, "It's just a few days before school is out, so I'm sure if we talk to McGonagall or Dumbledore they'd let us go."

Sirius leaned his face in his hands, placing his elbows on his knees, taking a deep breath. He then looked up at her and said, "Yeah…I'd really appreciate it."

Kalina hugged him quickly as the hall began to empty as the students headed off to their respective classrooms for finals, O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s. "Ready for finals Tiger?" She asked him.

Sirius smiled slightly at one of the nicknames she had come up with for him. "Yeah babe." he said.

"Well then, c'mon stud, let's go" she said.

She stood up and held her hands out to him.

Sirius smiled at his second nickname, grabbed her hands and hopped up onto his feet. They caught up with James, Remus and Peter who had just rounded the corner and were headed to Transfiguration.

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"Argh, the downside of being animagi…" James groaned as they walked out of the classroom, "You have to leave class every time they work on detecting them and thus fail your exams on how to detect animagi."

"Oh come on Prongs…it wasn't that bad…I think Moony and I did pretty well…and as long as Sirius wasn't just admiring my lovely handwriting, he will have done pretty well." Kalina paused to stick her tongue out at Sirius, "How do you think you did Worm?"

"It was called the 'Get Caught globe' right?" Peter asked.

The Marauders all laughed until Peter said, "What?"

They all turned to look at his face and could immediately tell that he was kidding, which caused them all to dissolve into laughs again as they went to lunch. Sirius held back slightly, once again noticing every detail in his world as his mind traveled to the letter folded in his back pocket. His head was slightly cocked as he watched the way his friends walked down the hall, pushing each other and laughing and teasing; the way Kalina's hair whipped into her eyes and mouth as she suddenly turned around to see where he had gone, the concern returning to her eyes. How easily her hand slipped into his and reassured him.

"Kali…when do you think we should talk to Dumbledore?" he asked as she pulled on his hand gently to keep him up with the group.

"We can talk to him at lunch if he's there. I was thinking about it, he's probably gotten a letter too…I mean, he is in charge of making sure the student affairs like this are taken care of. He may just come to speak to you." she replied softly, trying to keep the others from hearing her.

As they went to sit down at the Gryffindor table, Dumbledore came up behind them. "Mr. Black, I am assuming you received the same letter this morning?"

Sirius nodded at Dumbledore, pulling the letter from his back pocket to show to Dumbledore. "Very well Mr. Black, then I believe that once you are done with finals on the 2nd of June, you may go." Dumbledore said, and then turned briefly to Kalina and said, "Yes", before he walked back towards the table.

Dumbledore's visit and conversation with Sirius and Kalina immediately brought questions from James, Remus, and Peter. Sirius explained what had happened, the letter and most of the events due to it. He ended it all by saying, "That's one less family member I have to worry about hating my guts."; trying to prove he was un-phased by the day's events, and trying to cover for how depressed he was really feeling.

After lunch they headed to their last exam for the day, and then they rushed back to the common room to study for the next day's exams.

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By the evening of the 2nd of June, every student was exhausted. The Marauders were relaxing outside by the lake, watching as the sun readied itself to set in the western sky; James was polishing his broom, Peter was transfiguring leaves into balloons full of glitter and bright pink paint, Remus was studying a moon chart that covered the phases of the moon for a good 20 years from then, Sirius was at first leaning against the tree but slowly started to slouch as he got increasingly more hungry and tired, and Kalina was lying on the ground waiting for the first of the stars to come out. A large group of students suddenly came out of the castle, talking and laughing and yelping at one another. They seemed to feel the need to come and sit right by the Marauders. This caused Kalina to raise an eyebrow at Sirius who was now sitting on the ground slouching farther forward, causing him to give James a half smirk, which led to James nodding at Remus, who whistled lightly at Peter who seemed to get the hint.

Peter continued to transfigure leaves, and seemingly didn't notice when one of his newly transfigured balloons slowly lifted itself into the sky. He also didn't seem to notice when a second balloon followed it; as though they were linked together by an invisible chain. A third, and then a fourth balloon followed the previous two on this chain. Peter kept transfiguring and the balloons kept floating up until they were a good 25 feet vertically in the air. The balloons moved so they were horizontal and then slowly and stealthily made their way over to the air above the loud group. The four Marauders who were levitating the balloons gave each other looks that distinctly read; "1…2….3…SPLAT!"

As soon as 3 was read, all the balloons dropped. The Marauders climbed up into the tree next to them as chaos reigned. The group of people was covered in hot pink paint and multi-colored glitter. Peter quickly waved his wand, and another shower of glitter came out of no where followed by a wave of neon green and neon yellow paint. The shrieks of irritation and amusement at being covered in paint and glitter could be heard all the way into the castle. Thus, all sorts of people came running towards the chaotic mess, some at full sprint. It only took one mischievous look from James to everyone else for the plan to be conceived.

Just as the group from the castle got to the crowd of shrieking, paint splattered people, green slime poured down on their heads followed by eggs.

The Marauders sat in the tree, clinging on for dear life as they laughed until they thought their ribs were going to crack; Peter almost fell out of the tree. They quietly slid out of the tree while everyone was yelping and trying to get the paint and slime off of themselves. They ran back to the castle, but stopped short at the door. Dumbledore stood there with a large smile on his face as he laughed heartily; he had seen the people get paint-bombed and slimed, and couldn't help but laugh. "Mr. Black…Miss Daniels…are you almost ready?" he asked.

They both looked at one another in horror; they hadn't packed yet because they assumed they would be leaving the next day. "Not quite sir." Kalina said, "About 20 minutes perhaps?"

"Of course…when you are ready…come to my office." He replied.

They calmly walked around the corner, but once out of sight, they sprinted to the nearest hidden passageway.

"Pickled fish fins!" Kalina yelped as they neared a statue of a plant. She slid on her knees and rolled in the passageway. The boys followed, trying not to bump into the top of the entry to the passageway because they had found out the hard way that apparently when you did hit it, it closed and kept the person stuck in the wall. They sprinted down the passageway and Remus bellowed out the password to exit (Chicken liver paste), and then they burst out from behind a tapestry of dancing spiders just down from the Gryffindor Tower. Sirius passed Kalina as they rounded the bend to the tower yelling out the final password (Toast) before running up the stairs to his dorm and hurrying to try and find his belongings. Kalina burst into the common room sprinted up the stairs ran into her dorm and yelled "PACK!"

All of Kalina's items pulled themselves from the recesses of the room and flew into her trunk, her clothes folding nicely, even her socks; and her cloak flew into her hand. She tied the forest-green cloak around her neck grabbed her trunk which was by her side, and went down to the Common Room. When she didn't see Sirius or any of the Marauders down there, she rolled her eyes and left her trunk by the couch while she went up to the boys' dormitory.

When she got there, she saw four blurs zooming around the room trying to comb through a mess of clothes, dungbombs, books and crumpled parchment among other things. Kalina got laughing so hard, that she sat down and was literally rolling on the floor. This sight caused the Marauders to stop, and caused James to look at her strangely, "Clips…are you okay?"

"Prongs…" she laughed, "you're really good in charms…and you couldn't remember one of the handiest spells? That, and you all look ridiculous trying to find anything in here…"

"WHAT SPELL?" the four boys exploded at the giggling figure.

"PACK!" she yelled.

Items for all 4 boys flew from all corners of the room and a few items flew up the stairs towards their trunks. The boys hit the floor as folding shirts, fizzing whizbees, boots, jackets, pants and ties flew towards the trunks. Sirius' trunk packed itself first, leaving out a cloak. The rest of the boys' trunks were finished packing about the same time, leaving on top clothes for the rest of the school year, and then cloaks were hung on the hooks on their beds. The boys stood there open mouthed. Kalina rolled her eyes, and turned to Sirius who was tying on his cloak and with his trunk at his side, "Ready to go?" she asked him.

Sirius grabbed his trunk and followed her down the stairs where she levitated her trunk as they went to Dumbledore's office. They walked into Dumbledore's office 2 minutes early.

"I see you are ready now." Dumbledore said, "Now, the event you have been requested to attend for your Great-Uncle, is going to be at a number of places, the main gathering being at Grimmauld Place."

Sirius looked like he was going to throw up.

"You thus, have two options. I am sure your mother would allow you both to stay at Grimmauld Place." Dumbledore paused, and seeing Sirius mixed look of fear, hate, and nausea, continued on to give them their second option, "Or…you may stay at The Leaky Cauldron. Tom would keep a very close eye on the both of you, and you would be able to Floo to Grimmauld Place."

"The second option" Sirius said not a split second after Dumbledore finished giving them their options for accommodations.

"Very well then, just as I expected; Mr. Black, Miss Daniels. Come over to the fireplace, and you may Floo to The Leaky Cauldron. Tom is awaiting you both."

Kalina and Sirius went quickly over to the fireplace; pulling their trunks over alongside them. Kalina waved her wand and cast a charm over herself and her trunk. Then she did the same for Sirius. "To keep the dirt off." She shrugged, before grabbing a pinch of powder from the small container Dumbledore held out to her and yelling "The Leaky Cauldron!" and spinning out of sight.

Sirius followed her into the fireplace moments later, and shut his eyes against the spinning. When he felt himself slow down he opened his eyes and almost fell out onto Kalina who had apparently fallen to the floor for some reason. He pulled his trunk out of the fireplace; pushing it roughly to the side by hers. Sirius turned to see Tom up against the wall by the fireplace; and after a second look at Kalina's face, he noticed that she seemed highly amused.

"Umm…can I help you up Kali?" he decided to ask, holding his hand out to her.

She grabbed his hand and he pulled her to her feet. Then Kalina turned to Tom, "Tom…are you alright?"

"Umm…Kali? what happened?" Sirius asked.

"Well…Tom was waiting for us right by the entry to the fireplace…I had closed my eyes because this trip was making me feel a bit queasy…and so I had my eyes shut and forgot to open them when I slowed down…and I forgot about Tom waiting for us…so I saw him…and I shrieked and fell out of the fireplace…and managed to scare Tom here…Are you all right?" She explained.

"Yes Miss Daniels…you just gave me a bit of a fright there you did…let me help you both up to your rooms." He said.

The two insisted on dragging their own trunks up to their rooms; 216 and 196 which were right next to each other.

"There is a door connecting the two rooms, it will automatically shut and lock in the evenings…ahem…" he said, obviously pointing out to them that no hanky-panky or extra-curricular activities would be acceptable.

Both Kalina and Sirius flushed red. Kalina grabbed the key to 216 from Tom, mumbling her thanks before rushing into her room.

Sirius was biting his tongue, he was fairly sure it would start to bleed soon.

"Remember Mr. Black…ahem…" Tom said before handing Sirius the key to 196.

Sirius unlocked his door and dragged his trunk in, pushing it to the end of his bed before flopping down on the bed.

A moment later, he heard a couple of clicks and a squeak and boots on the floor. Kalina came over, and looked down at him; her hair hanging down and a mischievous smile on her face. "So…Mr. Black…" she said formally, "keep in mind there will be no…ahem…my lover…none of that." And then she broke down giggling.

Sirius grabbed her belt loops on the side of her pants, and pulled her down onto the edge of the bed, deciding to tease her, "And exactly what would 'ahem' be sweets?" He asked innocently.

"Mr. Black…surely you wouldn't ask a lady to say such things?" she asked in her American accent that she usually tried to hide.

He sat up, and went to give her a kiss, but she pushed him back down. "Come with me!" she suddenly said, grabbing his hand and dragging him out the door, slamming it behind him.

They ran down the hallways and past the bar; as Tom yelled after them where they were going, Kalina yelled back; "For a quick adventure!"

She pulled him into the alley, tapped the bricks in the pattern and pulled him after her. They ran down to Diagon Alley and hung a right. They ran past Alivan's to where there was a large number of lights, a quick turn to the left and Sirius saw the source of the lights. There was a carnival at the end of the Alley. Kalina looked back at him with a big smile on her face, and Sirius couldn't help but smile at her attempt to keep him from getting depressed about his Great-Uncle. He followed her as she dragged him towards the entrance.

She apparently had a ride she wanted to go on, and pulled him towards it. As Sirius looked around, he saw the carnival was just like the muggle ones, except that it was magically run. They went to a bumper cars ride. They got in line, and got on with a bunch of other people. Kalina ran towards a blue car, and Sirius went towards a gray one. When the ride started up, he headed towards Kalina, only to get slammed in the side; he looked to see who had done it and saw Kalina laughing her head off. He gave her an evil look, she took off and the chase was on. He floored the gas pedal and went after her at full speed, ignoring the other witches and wizards. All of a sudden she stopped, Sirius didn't notice until the last second, and rammed into her.

"Ooooh!" the crowd of people in line cried, some laughing and others yelling "That's gotta hurt!"

Sirius and Kalina were laughing as they rubbed their necks. Sirius backed up and slammed into her before Kalina took off again, managing to get lost in the crowd.

The people in line were now watching the two very closely, cheering and taking sides. Sirius' competitive side came out, but his ego was kept a normal side when Kalina slammed into the side of his car. He took off after her, managing to slam into her twice before she threw the car into a doughnut and slammed the side of her car perfectly into the side of Sirius' car; she was laughing. They went on for a few more minutes. Sirius managed to hit her a few more times, but just before their ride was over, Kalina front ended him. In the end Sirius had to help her out of the car she was laughing so hard. It ended up being contagious and so Sirius found himself laughing hysterically along with her; Kalina was biting her fist and Sirius was holding his breath. They looked at each other though and started laughing again.

As they were looking for something to get them to calm down, they came upon a game where the person uses a sledge hammer to make a small weight fly up and hit a bell at the top; and they would get a prize based on how well they did Sirius grabbed Kalina's hand, and pulled her over.

He grabbed the sledge hammer from the man running the game. Kalina stood over behind a fence teasing him.

"Let's go Stud! Win me a prize! C'mon Stud! Show me how strong you are!" she laughed, blowing kisses at him when he turned around to stick his tongue out at her.

He brought the hammer back when all of a sudden the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He ignored it, but just as he went to bring the hammer down, a voice whisper into his ear while poking him in the sides: "You're gonna win me a prize stud right?"

The hammer slammed into the ground and Sirius jumped about a mile in the air; causing Sirius and Kalina to dissolve into laughter. She stood back as he picked up the hammer again, checking over his shoulder once or twice before he slammed the hammer down. The weight went up and up and up. It hit the bell and the small crowd around the game area went wild; Kalina ran up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and kissed his cheek.

The man at the prize booth showed them the prizes they could pick. Sirius spent 10 minutes looking for what he wanted; refusing to allow Kalina to come and see what he was going to choose, so she went and bought a funnel cake. She stood outside the prize booth waiting for him, munching on her funnel cake. Sirius came out beaming moments later, and stole a piece of her funnel cake; smiling his first genuine smile in days. Kalina raised an eyebrow him, but he only smiled back and stole more of her funnel cake.

Moments later, the prize booth man came out to Sirius; "Here you go sir. Your prize…we had to go get it from the back in order to get the one you wanted, but we found it sir."

One of the men that assisted the prize booth man came out with a large, five foot tall wooden Tiki statue that had decorations that were in Gryffindor colors. Kalina rolled her eyes and smiled at Sirius who looked very proud of his Tiki statue. One of the men cast a shrinking charm on it, and told them that in order to restore it to its proper size, all one needed to do was to flick its head three times.

Sirius put it inside his cloak, "Let's go on another ride" he said.

He grabbed the hand that didn't hold the funnel cake and dragged Kalina over to the Swings.

When they got to the swings, Kalina was told she had to throw away the funnel cake, which incited an argument, which only ended when Sirius promised to buy her another one.

They got on the swings, and since it was late, got to stay on it for a couple of rides instead of just one. Sirius was reminded of the bumper cars when Kalina figured out how to make it so the swing would run into the others (which was when their free rides ended).

Just for fun, they went to the fortune teller's train car; mainly to see if she was a fraud or if she had anything of interest to say.

She read the signs that surrounded the birth of Sirius and explained them in great detail. Most of the signs he just blew off, but some of them were very interesting.

When Kalina sat down, the woman insisted on reading her palm. She said Kalina had a very interesting lifeline, but refused to elaborate when her eyes came across a very strange line on Kalina's hand. The woman gasped; "M'lady! You realize what your palm reads? You must then already know so much. 'Tis an honor to meet you m'lady!" the woman babbled; she continued babbling until Sirius and Kalina excused themselves from the train car and ran off.

Sirius had wanted the woman to elaborate at first, but after her babbling escapade, he decided against it. They hit a few more rides before the lights in the park slowly started to shut down from the back. They went back to The Leaky Cauldron to find Tom awake and waiting for them. They got the scolding of their lives when they walked in. Kalina got off easy, but Tom really went after Sirius about "ahem" and "cough".

When Sirius finally lay down on his bed, his feet were throbbing, but he was genuinely happy. There were three days left until his Great-Uncle's funeral, and he was going to need a plan for the 5th; but the plan wasn't going to form itself then-because he could barely keep his eyes open to kick his boots off.

He woke up the next morning to the smell of eggs, bacon, and toast. He found his breakfast on the table in the corner of the room along with The Daily Prophet. The door between the two rooms was still shut, but unlocked. Sirius got dressed and then wolfed down the bacon and eggs, and then slowly munched on the toast while looking at The Daily Prophet. The front page was boring, and so Sirius flipped to the page dedicated to Lord Voldemort; his latest murders, abductions, tortures, so on and so forth. Shaking his head at the large numbers, he flipped to the crossword puzzle. Kalina came in about a half-hour after Sirius woke up; already showered and dressed for the day.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

Sirius was halfway through the crossword and a piece of toast, and he gave her a look as though asking "You want me to abandon this now?"

Kalina smiled and rolled her eyes, grabbing the newspaper to check the figures on Lord Voldemort's page. When he was done with the crossword, he stood up and asked Kalina; "Kali…ready to go yet?" which put him on the receiving end of an eye roll.

They went down through the bar waving to Tom on their way out. Sirius tapped the brick wall and they headed to Diagon Alley.

Sirius and Kalina walked around the Alley looking at the shops; Kalina trying to keep Sirius from getting overly depressed about his Great-Uncle.

They went by Alivan's wand shop and got their wands detailed; Sirius was scolded for not taking better care of his. (It was smudged and dirty) They then went to Gringott's to re-fill their money bags.

Kalina and Sirius went up to one of the goblin's just inside the main doors. "Vault 784 please" Sirius requested.

"I need to get into vault 216, and then my family vault, number 123." Kalina said.

"Do you both have your keys? And for you ma'am, the password." The goblin asked.

Sirius took the key out of his pocket, and Kalina searched through the amulets on her necklace to find the key before they handed the keys to the goblin.

"Very well. You must speak the password to the vault when you get down to it." He paused and then yelled, "SCARBOROUGH!"

A young goblin came racing out of a back room. The goblin they had been working with rolled his eyes at the approach of the young Scarborough.

"Vaults 784, 216 and Family Vault Daniels-Greegis/ Betelgeuse; number 123." The goblin said to Scarborough, handing him the keys, "The lady knows the password."

Scarborough led Sirius and Kalina to the carts where they piled in and started racing down to Sirius' vault.

"These rides…" Sirius paused as they whipped around a corner, "always make me want to go poor."

Kalina laughed just before she slid forward off the seat as they came to a stop in front of Sirius' vault.

The goblin hopped out and Sirius followed him. Scarborough pulled out Sirius' key and placed it into the keyhole in the door. Suddenly, it glowed red, and a small speaker appeared to the left of the door. Scarborough went and started to speak into it in Goblin.

"Mr. Black," Scarborough said, "Unfortunately, we cannot allow you into your vault today. I realize this is an inconvenience, but it is of a legal issue. It's not your fault, but there is some items being transferred in, and it will be resolved later this week. Let's go"

"Wait one second here Scarborough…" Sirius said, his forehead creased in irritation and confusion, "What do you mean I can't get into my vault? That's my only means of support for myself! I can't live without the money in there, and you're telling me I can't get in it? And what do you mean a legal issue?"

"Mr. Black, I am not allowed to elaborate on the legal issue. It seems to be a family issue and a matter of inheritance. We cannot allow a person into their vault a week before a legal issue such as is settled. They have to make transfers and have signatures, and the vault has to be closed in order for transactions to be completed. This issue is closed unfortunately. We cannot allow you into the vault, we can loan you money here at the bank, interest included however of course."

By that time Kalina had gotten out of the cart and had walked over to Sirius. "Sirius…you'll be able to get into it later…I have a feeling that this has something to do with the 5th…and after that, it'll be taken care of…if you need some money…you can use some from my vault…or I can buy what you need because I know you'll pay me back; I'm not worried about it."

Sirius tensed slightly, his pride battling with the offer. Eventually common sense won out, and he said, "Thanks Babe…I'll pay you back when my vault is open."

They hopped into the cart and Scarborough handed Sirius' key to him. "To vault 216 then."

The cart sped off, zooming around the corner. They traveled on for about 10 minutes before Scarborough came to a halt, once again causing Kalina to slide forward off her seat. They all hopped out to the left, and Scarborough placed the key in the key hole. He twisted it and the vault opened slowly. Kalina went in and Sirius tentatively followed her over by the entry. There was a small pile of galleons, sickles and knuts in the center. Then, on shelves on the walls there were family heirlooms. Kalina saw Sirius standing by the door and came over and brought him in. "Pick as much as you need" she said.

She picked up a couple of handfuls; counting carefully what she was taking and writing it in a ledger on the wall. Sirius did the same with the money that he took. They then walked out and hopped back in the cart.

"Now; to 123 Daniels-Greegis/Betelgeuse" Scarborough said.

The cart took off at a speed that they hadn't ever experienced before. Whipping around corners and barreling down straight-aways. A large wall was in front of them, but the cart didn't stop or slow; it barreled at the wall, and then through it. When they got through the wall, the cart slowed down to quite a slow pace.

The walls were made of marble, each different color marble representing the colors of the family's vault. Dragons stood guard at each of the gold pillars holding up the ceiling which had purple silk fabric draped along it. On each of the doors there was the family seal, the door handles were made of crystal inlaid with a type of material representative of the family, and sitting in the door handles there was a scroll with the names of the family members who had opened the vault. On the floor in front of the door were made of marble and the same colors as the walls for each family; and engraved in the floor were the family trees for the owners of the vault. The family motto was engraved just above the door handles; the same patterns from the door handles bordered the tall doors to the vaults.

They pulled up slowly to vault 123 and Kalina stepped slowly out of the cart. The Daniels-Greegis/Betelgeuse vault was navy blue with blood red marbling in the marble. One of the names in the marble lit up as Kalina stepped onto it. Kalina looked over the ivy pattern around the door and the gold ivy engraving in the door handles. Scarborough came up behind Kalina and Sirius followed Scarborough. Kalina ran her hand over the family motto; _Unum_.

"Take the scroll, write your name on it, and say the password" Scarborough said.

Kalina took the scroll and opened it; a pen laced in ivy appeared and Kalina began to sign her name. She winced as she did though, and Sirius noticed that her name was being cut into her hand as she signed.

"Speak the password Ma'am." Scarborough said.

"Mars" she said.

The scroll floated out of her hand and the doors opened. Kalina grabbed Sirius' hand and pulled him after her as she walked into the vault. There was just a little light in the vault, and more turned on as they walked down the aisle. There was furniture and other family artifacts. Kalina passed them all though-she knew what she was after. She went towards the back of the vault where more modern items were, and turned to something that looked like little girl's toys.

Kalina smiled at Sirius, "Whenever my family grows out of items, they are transferred to this vault…these are my things from when I was little…and then there are items that I am allowed to come retrieve as I mature…jewelry…so on and so forth…The ones I'm looking for are for my use anytime after I have proper training…I just never needed them before…that and they look beautiful."

She proceeded to where some delicate shelves were up on the wall, with a grand red oak jewelry box. She took her chain out from around her neck again, and proceeded to search for a key. It was long and silver, and she stuck it in the jewelry box; twisting it to the left to un-lock it. She opened the top and pulled out an anklet that had a star and moon on it and then fastened it around her ankle. She then reached in and pulled out a small golden chain with the same moon and star on it. Sirius helped fasten it around her neck; it was a choker style with a small diamond on the star. Lastly, she grabbed a ring; just a thin silver band with a multi-color inlay. Kalina re-locked the box and turned to Sirius, "Let's get out of here before I start to reminisce and we end up spending all day here." She said.

They left the vault which closed immediately behind them and got back into the cart and headed back to the surface. They left Gringott's and realized that it was almost noon. Neither of them felt too hungry, but a snack was definitely in order-so they went and bought ice cream and Kalina introduced Sirius to the fine sport of people watching.

"Look at that person over there…what's up with that one?" she asked, teaching him how to play.

"I think he's thinking; '10 galleons for a wand! I only stepped on it…you can't fix them? Noooooo! It's not my fault…that happens…'" Sirius supplied

Kalina laughed at the man who was scratching his head with a broken wand who was babbling madly.

"How about that one?" she asked, pointing out a woman who was sitting across the street staring at them.

Sirius laughed, "She thinking; 'What are those little brats doing? They look mischievous…why aren't they in school?'"

"'Are they mocking me? Are they sitting there people watching…and are critiquing me?'" Kalina added.

"'Do they know what I'm thinking? Are they watching me?'" Sirius finished, laughing.

Once they were done with their ice cream, they went off and walked around.

"Sirius…umm…do you need to buy some dress robes or anything for the funeral tomorrow?" Kalina asked.

Sirius thought for a moment, "Yeah…I probably should shouldn't I?"

They headed to Madame Malkin's. Kalina explained to Madame Malkin what they were looking for; Madame Malkin decided to fit Sirius first, and called an assistant to fit Kalina. Once their robes were finished they went down to a flower and card shop.

Kalina had Sirius pick out a card while she went to find some flowers. She found an amazing flower that looked like a sunset. It was a powder blue background with gold, purple, orange, and pink. She grabbed 7 of them and went looking for Sirius. He snuck up behind her held a flower out in front of her.

"M'lady" he said.

The flower was a Simbelmenë, a delicate white flower on a thin mint green stem; it was preserved just as it was found-delicate with a few drops of dew on the leaves.

Kalina blushed lightly and said "Thank you m'lord" sticking her tongue out at him a little as he handed the flower to her.

She gave him the flowers she found for his Great-Uncle. They went and bought the flowers and the card that Sirius had found and went out with their purchases. Kalina and Sirius went and sat down in the little park that was by Alivan's. Kalina sat on the slide and Sirius sat on one of the swings.

"Sirius…are you okay?" she asked.

"I've been better…but…overall…He was like a father to me…because he took care of me. I didn't know him very well…mainly because when my parents found out that he and I got along-they separated the two of us. And then when I ran away last summer he had to keep away from me to keep from being disowned as well; although, technically he is the oldest member of the family…and can't really be disowned…but you know. He wants to sort of bring the family down from within. I know tomorrow that they'll put on a sad, mournful face for the reporters…because Great-Uncle Alphard was pretty famous…but they'll be spiteful and horrible…and expect me to act just like them." Sirius said.

Kalina just sat on the slide and listened as Sirius went on about his uncle and how his family was going to act the next day. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm coming up with a plan…I think…I'm just going to act exactly like me…the me that my Great-Uncle loved…and well…let it go from there…" he said.

They relaxed in the park until it got dark; then they went back to The Leaky Cauldron and bought some dinner from Tom. Tom was trying out a karaoke night at the Cauldron, and so Sirius and Kalina spent some time downstairs watching and listening to the witches and wizards and other creatures that got up to sing their renditions of their favorite songs; most of the time horribly off key.

They went to bed early, putting the flowers in vases, signing the card and setting their clothes out for the next day due to the early hour that they would have to be awake.

Kalina was the first one awake, and once she was ready, she went and woke Sirius up. They went downstairs and ordered some quick breakfast before leaving The Leaky Cauldron. Sirius threw out his wand-arm and the Knight Bus appeared before them. Sirius told the driver the destination and he and Kalina paid and found chairs in the back. The bus took so many sharp turns and made so many sudden stops that Kalina Sirius found themselves on the ground more than once. By the time they got to Number 12, they found themselves in seats at the very front of the bus.

They stepped off the bus and a foreboding house appeared in front of them. Sirius took a deep breath, clenched his teeth and took Kalina's hand in his. They walked slowly up the stairs. Sirius went to ring the bell, but paused and turned to Kalina; "Kali…don't…don't…don't touch anything…and if you can think of anything to irritate my mother…have at it."

He took the ring that she had taken out of her vault the day before and switched it to her ring finger, shrugging with a mischievous smile on his face and then rang the doorbell.

It sounded as though all hell had broken loose in the house. Suddenly someone came storming down the hallway, and opened the door. The evil looking face of a house elf peaked from behind the door.

It opened the door the whole way and motioned for them to come in. Most of the rest of the family was already in the house and milling around eating hors d'oeuvres and making small talk. Sirius clasped Kalina's hand tighter, and walked into the house, shoulder's back.

"Master Sirius…filthy brat…broke Mistress' heart you did…filthy blood traitor…M'lady…scum…wh…Welcome to Grimmauld Place…may I take your cloaks?"

"Back off Kreacher." Sirius spat as he hung up his own cloak and then hung Kalina's, putting a charm on them so only the owner's of the cloaks could remove them.

Taking Kalina's arm in his they went farther into the house. At the end of the hall there was a portrait of a pale, dark haired woman with wild eyes with her arm in that of an evil looking, dark haired man with eyes as cold and hard as coal. They both were very grim looking, evil even. Sirius paid special attention to avoiding being in sight of the portrait. Most of the family members ignored Sirius, who towered over many of them, while others mocked him to his face. Lucius had joined Bellatrix and Narcissa.

"Want something to eat?" Kalina asked.

Sirius seemed to be on guard, as though waiting for one of the family members to draw their wands and try to blast the two of them to pieces. He nodded mutely and allowed Kalina to lead him over to the table where there were the hors d'oeuvres were.

He blindly piled food onto his plate and eventually Kalina took the plate from him (which had chicken wings covered in ketchup and mayonnaise, broccoli covered in tarter sauce and a brownie with hot cheese on it) and started to make one up for him as he munched on carrots.

They sat down in a corner, people watching in a way. Finally Sirius threw his food away and said, "Want a tour of the house?"

"Sure" Kalina shrugged.

They got up and told her about the room they were in being the mourning room that appeared in times of death. They left the room and Sirius showed Kalina the kitchen. So far all the walls were ebony and the artifacts on the walls were black or silver or blood red. They went up the stairs quickly to avoid the portrait. He showed her the office/study; and showed her the family tree. They continued up the stairs and he showed her his room, the other rooms for his brother and the visitors, and eventually he pointed out his parents' room.

They went back downstairs, and were followed moments later by Mrs. and Mr. Black who were followed by a number of reporters. Mrs. Black's eyes lit up when she saw Sirius and Kalina. Kalina noticed Sirius' posture change, as though challenging his mother.

"Oh! My dear boy!" Mrs. Black cooed as she came over to him, "And such a darling young lady! She is most definitely that beautiful young woman you brought with you at Christmas! Come here my dear!"

Mrs. Black came over and hugged Sirius and Kalina. Sirius was very surprised, but Kalina was ready for it, and Kalina came right back at her.

"Oh Mrs. Black! So good to see you again! I see someone has removed your wand." Kalina said smiling sweetly, causing Mrs. Black to lose her calm look for a moment.

Mr. Black had come over by that time and had shaken Sirius' hand, and made his way over to Kalina. Mr. Black took her hand gently in his own, bowed slightly and kissed the back of her left hand softly causing Sirius to start at his father, but then roll back on his heels.

"My dear…It is good to finally meet you. I seem to have missed you at the Christmas festivities; although my wife did go on about you." He said; his voice as smooth as silk, as cold as ice and as evil as Satan himself.

"I'm sure she did father. After cursing me and threatening her because she is a pure-blood witch who dates the son she disowned, she would report to you how much she hates her." Sirius suddenly burst out.

Mr. Black's voice turned even colder and cruel than it was before, "Son. Act the Black boy, or I will have to ask you to leave."

Sirius' parents smiled at the reporter, although it was more of a forced smile that held no real emotion or true happiness in it, and invited him to join them in speaking with their other son; Regulus.

Sirius' fists clenched as they walked away.

"This is going to be a long day." Kalina thought.

About half an hour later, the limos arrived to transport the family members to the wizarding grave yard about 3 miles away.

"I'm surprised we ever lived so bloody far from it." Sirius whispered to her as they waited to slide into a limo; his parents insisted that they ride with them, still trying to flaunt the amazing class of a pure-blood family.

There was very little discussion between the 7 people in the limo (Regulus had brought a date) until Mr. Black noticed Kalina playing with the ring on her finger.

"Ahem…so son…" Mr. Black started; choking on the word son, "When were you planning on telling us?"

Sirius looked slightly confused for a moment until all in an instant he caught up with the situation; his mother's widening eyes, his father's even paler complexion, Kalina messing with the ring he had moved. "Thanks babe." He thought; the upcoming chaos would irritate his mother to no end and completely slash the theory of how close the pure-blood Black family was.

Sirius decided to choose his words carefully, "Well Mum…Father…" he paused; glancing over at Kalina to make sure she had caught on to what was going on, which from the look on her face she was thinking of ways to irritate his mother, "It happened not too long ago, you both haven't been around and you weren't interested in me and my dealings at that point in my life…and besides…I wouldn't think this particular time would be a good one to announce such things."

Kalina caught on to his careful wording, he never verified that they were engaged, which they weren't. But every word he had spoken had been true. "It was a surprise." She said, figuring she'd add to the irritation; Mrs. Black rubbed her the wrong way and Mr. Black was just plain dark, "It was unexpected…but I know he meant EVERY word he said."

Sirius had a mischievous grin plastered in his mind as he inwardly was busting a gut over what Kalina had said. "Now Kali," he said lovingly, "we both agreed this wasn't the time, and that even if they did ask we wouldn't elaborate because it wasn't appropriate. Of course, had I gotten a single letter from them since I ran away last summer besides the howler they sent at Christmas, they probably would have known already"

"Of course lover…of course." She responded, as though they had actually discussed this issue before.

At that point, the limo pulled up outside the graveyard; and any further conversation was put on hold. Regulus, his date, Mrs. Black and Mr. Black climbed out first; Mr. Black moving just out of sight of the door. Sirius climbed out and helped Kalina out. He went to say something to her when his father suddenly came over and roughly grabbed around Sirius' upper arm and pulled him close to his face. Sirius was just a touch taller than Mr. Black, and both faces were set with mutinous looks.

"You act the Black boy, or I'll remind you of your place in this world you blood-traitor. You and your little wh there better not be engaged, that little show you both put on can smear the pure Black name. Act the Black…or pay the consequences filth." He hissed at Sirius.

"Father…you and mum manage to smear the 'pure' Black name all on your own. I do what I can to fix it." He responded contemptuously.

Mr. Black released Sirius as though touching him dirtied the family name, or burnt his hand.

Kalina came up and laced her fingers into Sirius' and starting to pull him towards the funeral services.

The service was fake; every eulogy professed by the family was utter lies. Sirius was the only one who spoke the truth and delivered a heartfelt message to his Great-Uncle. Sirius spoke of his Great-Uncle's honor and courage; the man's ability to love and to accept. After Sirius' message, the coffin was readied to be lowered, and the family began to disperse. Sirius and Kalina left last. Sirius placed the card on top of the coffin, and Kalina put the flowers with the card; they were the only flowers on the coffin. The coffin was lowered, and Sirius finished the part of the ceremony his family had forgotten or ignored. He picked up a small handful of dirt and gently tossed it into the grave.

Kalina stood and watched as Sirius sank down and crouched by the grave; his elbows on his knees and his hands on his face. He watched as the workers piled dirt on his uncle. Kalina placed her hands on Sirius' shoulders and whispered to him, "Love…we've got to go…I know it's hard; but you can't let them win."

Sirius stood up and they went back to the limo where he sat stone faced for the short ride back to Grimmauld Place.

His parents spent about 2 hours thanking family members and friends and political dignitaries for attending the "event" as they called it. Those who had been invited by the lawyers stayed around eating more of the food and "Acting the Black" for the reporters. Kalina and Sirius missed all of the 2 hours, because as soon as the limo arrived back at Number 12, Sirius had run up the stairs, skipping every other. Kalina had followed him slowly, knowing he probably want to be alone for a few minutes, but also not wanting to be alone with the rest of the family.

She sat outside his room until suddenly she heard a loud thump and gut-wrenching howl. She burst into the room and locked the door. Sirius had slammed his fist into the wall and sat on the floor, fist bleeding from the nails in the wall, clenching his jaw- trying to gain control.

"Oh my God…Sirius…" she felt her heart breaking as she watched him sit there, coping with the loss of the only parent-figure he had ever known.

She walked over to him and sat down behind him; wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin on his shoulder whispering softly to him. She pulled a handkerchief out of her robes and tore it so she could wrap it around his hand. She tied it up tightly; she would have healed it but she had never been the greatest healer and needed to look up the spell. Kalina hugged him tightly. He never shed a tear, just sat there clenching his jaw and grinding his teeth.

A loud pounding on the door brought the hate and anger back to him. His family hated him, and the only family that had ever loved him was dead. He knew he had James and his family, which was like a family to him; he also knew he had Remus and Peter who, like James, were like brothers. And then there was Kalina, who was family in a different sense. But the fact that his own flesh and blood couldn't stand him was unbearable, and then the fact that they disrespected anyone who did care for him was agonizing.

The pounding continued until Sirius bellowed "WHAT?"

"The attorneys are here…it's time for the reading of the will" a gruff voice came from behind the door.

"Coming Regulus." Sirius said.

Kalina and Sirius stood up and went out the door; then they went down the hallway to the study where a large oak table had been erected and chairs with blood-red velvet seat cushions sat waiting for the family members.

Everyone slowly filed in. The attorneys came in with an un-opened envelope. "We have not read the will, we only know the names that are mentioned in the will" said one of the attorneys.

The attorney who looked suspiciously like a relative of Lucius slit the envelope open and pulled out a one page will. Sirius smiled slightly, that was his Great-Uncle's style.

The attorney cleared his throat. "Ahem. This is the last will and testament of Lord Alphard Leonard Black. When this will is opened by any person other than myself, the changes will take effect, with or without signatures. To those of you gathered around the table with my lawyers, I would like you all to know, I hated most of you. Pure-blood fanaticism will be the downfall of our world, and I was a stupid old man to try to keep my true opinions hidden until my death."

At that, the attorney stopped reading, and his quivering hand set the will down. All of the members around the table were absolutely livid about the words that Alphard had written except for Sirius. He jumped up and ran to the head of the table, grabbing the will before any member of the family could do anything to destroy it. Then, he began to read it aloud.

"My nieces and nephews, and my sons and daughters had no real idea of real life, they were too obsessed with making sure their children were just as brainwashed as they themselves were, save one. Most of my grand-nieces and grand-nephews were just as idiotic, save one. Andromeda, my dear one. You are level-headed, and you have your own mind. To you, I leave 15,000 galleons, 180 sickles and 62 knuts, along with a few other odds and ends that will be transferred to your fault when you get married. To Sirius, the boy I consider to be as good as a son, and better than any of my children could ever be, first, I love you boy. You deserve much better than your parents would ever be able to give you. To you, my son, I leave everything else. I leave to you the jewelry I have from my wife to give to the woman you marry (such as that lovely young woman you introduced me to briefly at Christmas time). I leave you a large amount of money that I doubt your gaping relatives would be able to comprehend at this point. I leave you a new family vault; it will open the day after my funeral, it is vault 125, next to the Daniels-Greegis/Betelgeuse vault. In the vault you will find a number of gifts. I purchased these gifts to give to you as you aged, but whatever is left will be found there. Now, since you rightly left your scum parents, you don't have a home. Go to Diagon Alley to a reality shop called BAPHM, (it doesn't really stand for anything, the owners just think it's funny), they have instructions to show you homes that I believe you would love, and the one you pick will be yours. I also leave you a bit of my wisdom, some of it contained in a pensive, and the words that will follow. Get mad, get angry, don't let them see you though. And another piece of advice for you to chew on. Those who die never truly leave us. A wise man once told me that, and I believe that you may need that in the years to come. Sirius, Andromeda, you two are they only worthy ones that exist at this time in this family. Thus, all of my worldly belongings will be distributed as shown above in my last will and testament.

To the rest of the family, I guess I shall leave you all one thing to fight over; F YOU ALL!

Love, Alphard Leonard Black"

The family sat at the table open mouthed. Sirius had the biggest grin in the world on his face. He ran over to Kalina and picked her up off the ground and kissed her. Andromeda came over and she and Sirius hugged.

Sirius, Kalina and Andromeda, turned around. Sirius still had the will in his hand. They backed towards the door, as the family came towards them. They backed down the stairs and put their cloaks on. Andromeda apparated, and Sirius threw out his wand arm. The Knight Bus arrived just as the family closed around the door. Kalina and Sirius jumped onto the bus, and just before it took off, Sirius turned back to his house. "Well family" Sirius said, "I hope I never see you all again…oh and father…do me a favor…Act the Black."

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Soooo…How am I to know if you all like my long chapter fetish unless you review? trying to point out common sense in the joy I get from people reviewing…means people are reading which makes me happy too…

If you all review…I'll write just as long a chapter for your efforts…PLEASE…gets on hands and knees…PURLEASE! Review!


	20. Summer Nights

Author's Notes: Sorry it's been so long since the last update. roasting marshmallows Anyone want some _flamed_ marshmallows? Yeah...to the certain reviews that I got: First, you only read the first few chapters, and it's only in this chapter that Kalina's nickname really makes any sense. 2nd, I'm not JK Rowling and I never claimed to be. And 3rd, If you have something to say, please make it constructive. A flame does nothing to make an author better, something productive can at least be used and perhaps the writing will get better.

Anyway...sorry for that everyone...here's the next chap...chapter 21 will be up in a few minutes and 22 will be up sooner than later

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**Chapter 20: Summer Nights**

Had the conductor of the Knight Bus not forced Sirius to sit down, he would have been skipping up and down the length of the bus. As it was he sat reading what his Great-Uncle had written over and over again. The words that Alphard had flung at him family gave Sirius hope that there was a chance for some members of his family yet.

The bus trundled along, going awfully slow when compared to its usual rate. It was relatively late when they finally made it to The Leaky Cauldron, by which time Sirius had read the will an excess of 70 times, and Kalina had it memorized because of Sirius' constant whispering of the words. She knew he was still grieving his Great-Uncle, but that he was rejoicing that his family had received such a large kick in the pants.

They went inside the Cauldron, waved to Tom, and went upstairs. Kalina knocked softly on the middle door about 20 minutes or so after they had gone to their rooms; Sirius had once again flopped onto his bed, and so he lazily called "Come in" when she knocked.

"Hey there Stud." She said.

Sirius rolled over to see Kalina standing by the door in her favorite jeans and a t-shirt, obviously coming to talk.

"Hey babe" Sirius smiled at her.

Kalina came over and sat down on the floor next to the bed. "How're you doing?" she asked him, glancing at the hand she had bandaged earlier in the day.

Sirius flexed his hand and winced; "Well…aside from the fact that I plan to rip my hand off…and the fact that my Great-Uncle is dead…I'm doing pretty well…"

Kalina grabbed her wand and then grabbed his hand; mumbling an incantation, she unwrapped the hand to reveal healed skin.

"Well, in that case. Question; are you planning on going to meet the Hogwart's Express when it comes in this year?" she asked, checking his hand over just in case.

"I hadn't really thought about it…but probably…why?"

"Just wonder…" Kalina stopped short as an owl the color of the moon came flying in the window. On its back there was a constellation.

The owl waddled over to Kalina and nuzzled her affectionately before sticking its leg out for her. Kalina gently rubbed it head and spoke to it as she removed the letter.

"Hey there Dipper. What did Mum and Dad send you for? I told them to keep you at home…you shouldn't be flying too much yet…that wing needs a bit more time before you take on big treks like flying from home to even here."

Once the letter had been detached, Dipper waddled over and flew up onto the bed where Sirius lay. It climbed up on his stomach and waddled towards his face; cocking its head at him before moving its head very close to his face and blinking its great blue eyes rapidly.

Kalina read the letter, and then took a deep breath before quietly folding it up again and holding her arm out for the bird. Dipper flew over and sat on Kalina's arm as she walked back into her room and shut the door.

Sirius got up and knocked but no one answered. "That's really strange." He thought to himself.

He heard a desk drawer open and close, and then for the next hour or so heard a quill scribbling on parchment; then he heard a desk drawer open and slam, and a window being opened. He saw Dipper fly out minutes later with a small package looking object attached to its leg.

"Kali?" he said as he knocked on the door again.

Kalina opened the door a little bit; her eyes were so dark blue they were almost black. She was biting her lower lip, and her face looked a little red.

"What's the matter Kali?" he asked.

"Nothing…nothing really…" she answered, "I'm just tired…I'm heading to bed…see you in the morning." She said before closing the door.

Sirius tried to go to sleep, but he couldn't fall asleep; the Marauder in him wanted to go sneak into Kalina's room and read the letter. The part of him that knew she'd be pissed as hell kept him from doing it. Sirius finally managed to fall asleep thinking about how angry his relatives must be.

Sirius was woken the next morning by an owl coming and landing on his stomach. His window was open and light was pouring in. There was a letter in its beak that read: "Sirius- I had to go meet my parents, you were sleeping in so I had Dipper hold on to this letter. He'll probably get bored and come in and wake you up. I'll meet you at Gringotts at 9, I figured you'd probably want to see your new vault…and I have a feeling (maybe of foreboding) that my parents will find some excuse to require them to meet you…Don't forget to bring the will just in case the goblins need proof of ownership or some such thing…See you at 9…Love, Kali"

Sirius rolled over to look at his clock and saw that it was 8:45. He jumped up, startling the owl that was still sitting on his back. He threw on some fresh clothes and ran a comb through his hair. He grabbed a couple pieces of toast, and threw on his cloak, grabbing his wand as he did so. Sirius took off down the stairs and through the brick wall someone had opened. He shoved the toast into his mouth as he ran towards the bank. He slowed down when he got closer, double checking his watch, and seeing he still had 10 minutes left. He caught his breath, dusted the toast crumbs off his shirt, and double checked to make sure he had everything. The will was still in his cloak from the day before, his wand was in his back pocket, and his money was in his cloak as well. He looked in a store window to see what clothes he had thrown on. He was wearing his faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt; he had somehow managed to throw on his black leather combat boots before sprinting out the door.

He came up to the front steps of Gringotts just as Kalina and two adults, presumably her parents, did. Her father was 6' 2" or 6' 3", dark hair, a mustache, medium blue eyes and big build. He had very wide shoulders, but his body in general was very toned. He walked with a slight limp in the left leg, and the dozens of visible scars on his body showed he held a job that was pretty damaging. Kalina's mum was about 5' 3", shorter than Kalina, with dark hair with some blonde highlights. She was of smaller build, but had an air of power around her, much of it emanating from her hazel eyes. She had her ears pierced just a couple more times than Kalina who had 2 holes in each year and 2 in the cartiledge of one ear and 1 in the other. Kalina spotted Sirius and ran over to him, her parents coming up behind her; Kalina hugged Sirius and then stepped back to make introductions.

"Sirius…this is my Mum; Kelly Daniels." Kalina paused as Sirius shook Kelly's hand, "And this is my Dad…Leo Daniels"

Kalina's dad stepped forward and clasped Sirius' hand tightly. The handshake turned into an assessment of how weak or strong he was based on his ability to give a firm handshake. Sirius had grown up in a world where the handshake made the man, and was able to match the bone-breaking grip without out wincing.

"Nice to meet you Sirius, we've heard quite a bit about you." Mrs. Daniels said, "I'm glad to see you made it here on time. I'm sorry about your Great-Uncle."

Mr. Daniels nodded at Sirius; Sirius understood it was not due to any hard feelings against him in general, just that he was being evaluated.

"You two haven't had breakfast have you?" Mr. Daniels asked, "Because your Mum and I haven't, so we could all go get something and then you two could get on with whatever errands you have to do."

"We've already eaten" Kalina said, "and Sirius and I really need to go to his vault. So Mum and I were talking and we thought it might be a good idea if he and I go to his vault and meet you two later for dinner or something like that. What do you two think?"

"That sounds good" Sirius said.

"Sure…your Mum and I have some work to do in the Alley today…errands…meetings…so on and so forth." Mr. Daniels said.

Mr. and Mrs. Daniels left after a moment's hesitation, and Kalina and Sirius moved up the stairs and through the door.

"I think he likes you" Kalina said just as they walked in the door.

Sirius stopped and shook his head in confusion, "WHAT?" he asked incredulously.

"Well…" Kalina began, "He didn't kill you for one,"

She paused and stuck her tongue out at him teasingly.

"And he noticed that you didn't wince…and you got a nod…which is always a good thing."

Sirius just shook his head in a confused manner and continued into Gringott's. The only goblin open was the one from two days before. The goblin's face hardened as they walked up to him.

"Vault 125 please, I need to open it for the first time…set up to have the contents of my current vault moved to number 125 unless they already have…and some details like that." Sirius said.

"I need you to sign these forms…and see the will if you would hand that over…and then sign this…and fill out this…and this…and that…oh and this…and sign these and fill out the last one in duplicate twice…and select from these…and list some names here with the passwords…list terms of use…inheriting persons…and fill out those, these, this, that and those, and sign them all in triplicate twice and then initial in quadruplicate three times" the goblin said piling a 4 inch high stack of papers on Sirius' hands.

Sirius' jaw was hanging open, and Kalina closed it gently taking the papers and asking for a place to sit and fill out the papers. The goblin led them to a room behind the counters and gave them a goblet full of quills and a bunch of ink, shutting the door behind him as he left.

Kalina sat down with the papers and started to sort them. She put the papers that needed to be filled out in one pile and the ones that Sirius needed to sign in another. Sirius was still standing by the door, a little baffled. Kalina rolled her eyes and steered him towards the table, putting a quill in his hand and setting the first paper in front of him. Sirius blinked for the first time since the goblin had piled the papers on him, and then started to sign where the bright red x's were. As he signed the papers, Kalina started to fill out the papers she could.

"What colors do you want your vault?" she asked, starting with the first paper.

"Midnight blue…purple…and slate grey" he said, signing another paper.

Kalina wrote it down and checked the boxes that needed to be taken care of for the paper. She moved on to the paper for the family tree, showing that it should start with an honorable position for Alphard and then starting at Sirius. She wrote the symbols for his vault, taking care of the aesthetic portion of the vault. She filled out the paper to get Sirius' current vault's contents moved to his new family vault and set it in his signing pile. Kalina set aside the paper for persons allowed into the vault and their passwords. Sirius had stopped singing the papers; suddenly he picked up his wand and caste a spell on it. He picked up the quill and signed his name just once and initialed once. The papers glowed yellow and Sirius checked a number of them to make sure that his signature had been placed on all the papers. He then picked up the small pile that was forming near his elbow that Kalina was sorting.

He began working on the permission form for the other people allowed into his vault. "Clips…what do you want your password to be?"

At the sound of her Marauder nickname, a mischievous glint came to her eye, "Nunquam Pur"

Sirius smiled at the idea, "Bugger…I like that one…"

"Fine, you can have that one…I want…Illo Nullus Promitto…"

Sirius smiled again, "Alright…I won't steal that one from you Clips…How do you think I put heirs in here?"

Kalina cocked her head at him, "What do you mean?"

"Like…for when James finally asks Lilly to marry him and they have their 6 billion kids like James keeps raving about…or Remus finds someone who will love him despite his problem and has kids with him…or even Pete…if someone marries him and has kids…"

Kalina couldn't help but tease him, "Oh…I see your own children aren't on that list of 'if's…not planning on having kids?"

Sirius looked startled at the thought, and then his face lit up with a mischievous grin of his own, obviously having formed a comeback quickly, "I just didn't want to scare you off…what with my plans on having at least 15 or 20 at the minimum…"

Kalina almost winced and mumbled something about "that wouldn't be labor-the kids would just walk out…"

"Anyway…how do you think that would work?"

"Well…" she said, pulling the paper over to her, "According to the directions…you list them as heirs of whomever and give them a password. Since you don't know who you boys are going to marry, you'd put like; heirs of James Potter or heirs of Sirius Black for your own kids, and then give them a password…probably something along the lines of the names of you four."

"Wouldn't I put like…heirs of James and Lilly Potter?"

"No…there is no Lilly Potter at this point and time; and you have no clue if that is what actually is going to happen…"

"Oh…it'll happen all right…I don't consider James my brother just because we're best friends…I know more about him and he knows more about me than I could ever believe…he's on that path for the long haul…death 'til you part you know?"

"I see…well…hopefully he's keeping reality in mind…because the long haul could mean being the man down the street watching Lilly and her family in a set of binoculars…especially if he does what she considers 'stupid things'…i.e.: pick on Snape…fail his classes…build a shrine to the man who created Quidditch."

Sirius laughed, "And how about you?"

Kalina was completely perplexed by the randomness of the question, "What? What about me?"

"How about your heirs…who do I put you with?"

Kalina could tell he was trying to imply something, but there was way too much running through her head to figure it out, "What do you mean?"

"I mean…could I take a wild guess as to who you'll be ending up with…and put your heirs and his together?"

She was starting to connect the dots, she hated that game sometimes, "And would you happen to know this man that you figure I'll end up with…so that you could make a wild guess?"

Sirius cracked his neck, "Perhaps…"

"I would hate for a wild guess to turn out wrong though…"

"It won't…because this is one time I know I'll be right."

"Well, you can still just put my name and my kids would be able to get in…"

Sirius quietly finished the paper, leaving the conversation hanging and Kalina confused. He mumbled quietly as he finished the line with his heirs on it, "I could…but why should I have to keep the heirs separate …they're going to end up in the same place in the end."

Kalina kept filling out the papers that she could and then she gave them to Sirius. She finished her pile of papers and double checked the papers Sirius had filled out.

"Done!" he said, jumping up and grabbing the papers. They went out the door and went back to the goblin who had given them the papers.

"Here you go" Sirius said, plopping the papers down on his desk.

The goblin grabbed them and shoved them all under his desk, "SCARBOROUGH!" the goblin bellowed.

Scarborough came out and the goblins conferred with each other. Scarborough went back into a side room and then appeared again moments later. He handed an envelope to the goblin and then came around the front of the desk to stand by Sirius and Kalina.

"Mr. Black…welcome to Gringott's…here is the key to your family vault" he said dryly, handing the envelope to Sirius, "Now. Scarborough. Take Mr. Black down to his vault, number 125."

Scarborough led Kalina and Sirius to a cart and then they made their way down to the family vaults. They went through the wall again, and pulled slowly up to Sirius' vault.

The pattern around in the marble was paw prints, hoof prints, wolf prints, and rat prints repeating over and over around the door. Sirius jumped out of the cart after Scarborough and Kalina followed them. Sirius slid the key out of the envelope; it was silver with the same pattern, except each print was only on there once and the front of the prints were facing the center. Sirius handed the key to Scarborough, and Sirius went and signed his name on the scroll; dating it. Scarborough unlocked it, and Sirius grabbed the door handles and opened the door.

The vault was filled with everything a person could imagine. Sirius grabbed Kalina's hand and they walked in. He let go of her hand and went to look at a number of items that were under a sheet. Kalina went farther in, finding furniture, jewelry, plates, toys and every other thing a person would find in a big house.

Kalina found something interesting, and called to Sirius. He didn't answer, and she rushed back to where she had last seen him; the sight she beheld was startling.

Sirius was on his hands and knees, the sheet had been thrown backwards over other items. He was basically worshipping the item in front of him. It was gorgeous. Sleek, ebony with blood red writing and lining, a leather seat and saddlebags, decked with chrome that was edged in gold, the tires had a great tread, the wheels were the style called Jesse James; chrome with gold bullets around the outside. It was THE Motorcycle. The one that Sirius had always said he would buy one day, no matter what.

Kalina went over and handed Sirius the key she had found towards the back of the vault.

Sirius got up slowly, as though he didn't want to scare it off. He sat down on the seat; and put his hands on the handlebars. He put the key in, and turned it. The motorcycle roared to life, purring and roaring at the same time. Sirius revved the engine, and the sound ricocheted off the walls making it sound as though Hell's Angels had invaded the vault. Sirius looked as though he had died and gone to heaven. He just sat there with the motorcycle running, revving it here and there, pure bliss evident on his face.

Kalina smiled, she knew Sirius wouldn't be exploring the vault anymore that day. She pulled the sheet back a few feet more to find helmets, a leather jacket and everything Sirius would ever need to clean it up.

The goblin had come up to Sirius and was trying to tell him something, but not only would Sirius not have been able to hear him anyway, he just wasn't in the normal world; he was in his own world with his motorcycle.

Kalina went over to talk to Scarborough.

"He can't fly that thing out of here. We have to load it into the cart, and he really has to shut it off…it's bad for the vaults."

Kalina grimaced at the thought of having to even get Sirius to turn off the bike, let alone make him get off of it.

"Pad…Pad…in order to get this out of here; you have to get off the bike." Kalina tried.

Sirius gave her a look of being torn. Kalina laughed and climbed onbehind him, making him move forward. She reached around his sides and turned it off taking the key, and then she kept sliding forward. "Sirius, you need to get off, then we can take it out of the vaults and you can drool all you want."

"No." he replied simply, having made up his mind never to part with his motorcycle.

Kalina stuck one of her fingers in her mouth. "WET WILLY!" she shrieked.

A moment later, Sirius was off the bike, trying to wipe his ear out with his t-shirt. Kalina got off and motioned to Scarborough. The goblin lazily waved his hand and the motorcycle began to float in the air towards the doors of the vault and the cart.

A person watching would have thought that the world was coming to an end. The first thing Sirius did was sink to his knees and raised his hands up towards the motorcycle, "WHY? WHY CRUEL WORLD!" he moaned.

Suddenly, Scarborough took the motorcycle a little closer to the door than Sirius was apparently comfortable with. Sirius jumped up onto his feet and was directing Scarborough's efforts, "Slow down…not so close!...That's definitely within two or three feet of hitting…not so slow! You might drop it!...Not so high!...That's too low!"

Kalina grabbed the helmet and the rest of the things that came with the motorcycle. Kalina carefully counted out some money for Sirius and then headed out after Sirius and Scarborough. Sirius was carefully inspecting the bike for the most infinitesimal speck of dusk as Kalina came out of the vault. She set the box she had filled in the back of the cart and then walked over to Sirius.

"Pad…you really need to lock up your vault…and you'll be able to inspect it better once we get it outside." She said.

Sirius sighed, and then walked into his vault. Kalina went to follow him but as she turned around, she tripped. She landed on her hands and knees right by the family tree that Sirius had set up. Her hands landed above the family tree; she glanced at her hands and saw that she had slit her palm in the opposite direction from her Cognatus Vinculum scar. Her glance traveled quickly past her palm to the blood that had run down from where her palm had landed on some glass to the family tree. The names of all of her fellow Marauders were on the ground, engraved into the marble. Three of the names had spots for people to be added next to them, hers didn't, and neither did the fourth. Before Kalina could really digest what she was seeing, Sirius came out of the vault and shut the door. Kalina got up and got in the cart. All the way back to the surface, Sirius was turned around, staring at the motorcycle to make sure nothing came close to doing anything to it.

As soon as the motorcycle was out of Gringott's Sirius was inspecting every inch of it again. Kalina sat on the stairs laughing to herself as Sirius compulsively went from one end of the bike to the other, drawing stares from passerby; some jealous, some dubious, but either way Sirius was oblivious. He put all of the gear that came with the motorcycle in the saddlebags. Finally it seemed as though Sirius was happy, and he seemed to come back to earth.

"It's gorgeous…bloody gorgeous…" he said to Kalina.

"Well…I'm thinking your Great-Uncle wanted you to…I dunno…ride it maybe…" she said, rolling her eyes.

Sirius looked as though he hadn't ever considered that. "Let's go…" he said to Kalina, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the motorcycle.

Sirius sat down on the bike and pulled Kalina on to the bike behind him and started it up. It roared to life and caused turned heads all over the alley. Sirius shifted into first and then headed off to the area where the fair had been. As they got closer, Sirius sped up and shifted into second. The engine roared, and Sirius sped up again, shifting into third. Kalina had her arms around his torso. He sped up even more and shifted again. They were getting closer to a large pine grove; Sirius kept speeding up as he turned the motorcycle in a huge crescent shape riding back towards the alley. He shifted to fourth as they came out of the turn and then a few seconds into his straightaway he sped up and shifted into fifth, and then sped up again preparing to shift. As he shifted, the motorcycle lifted into the air and flew into the sky. Sirius had a huge grin on his face as he sped up even more. They soared over Diagon Alley before pulling up farther into the sky. The motorcycle and both Sirius and Kalina blended into their surroundings as they soared over muggle London, flying low and flying high, flying around signs and birds. Sirius was having the time of his life; the motorcycle responded to his every move and seemed to read his mind; it roared and purred-coming to life with a touch to the throttle. Sirius was overjoyed, and was irritated by the fact that they had to land after awhile.

"Hey Pad…land over there." Kalina said to him, pointing, as they flew over Diagon Alley and looked for a place to land.

Sirius looked at her over his shoulder and gave her a questioning look but turned the bike towards where she had pointed and came in slowly. They landed a little bit away from the store and Sirius downshifted and hit neutral just as they came up to the shop. If Sirius had thought he was in heaven before, he had no idea that heaven could get better. Kalina grabbed his hand as he kicked down the kickstand. He watched the bike settle before he let Kalina drag him into the store of his dreams. As she pulled him through the door, Kalina took a step back she let him past her and he ran off into the store. Kalina started to laugh, "If there were pranks in this store, Sirius would keel over" she thought to herself.

She walked in the store after Sirius. "Now…If I was Sirius…and I had a brand new motorcycle and someone surprised me and brought me to the wizarding world's largest motorcycle shop…where would I be?" she muttered to herself.

A loud whoop from the back of the store answered her question. Kalina went to see Sirius looking at all of the upgrades for his bike and the accessories for it.

He was finding that his Great-Uncle had, over the years, upgraded it so much, that there was barely anything to buy in order to upgrade the bike. He didn't notice as Kalina wandered off into the store. He went through the parts with the technician and they even wheeled the bike in to the shop and were discussing how replacing the exhaust with the upgrade would be detrimental to the overall performance and how if he wanted more speed all he needed was a simple charm that was placed on the memory chip in the engine. He bought the charm, and a number of others, such as one that keeps the paint job in perfect condition. He went and looked at the helmets, and the license plate frames, the seats, and the saddlebags. Sirius bought another helmet, a license plate frame, but couldn't find an excuse to buy a seat or new saddlebags. He did, however, find an excuse to get the bike decaled. He also had another key made and found a chain to put it on.

Sirius was glad that Kalina had gotten some money out of his vault; otherwise he never would have had the money to get half of what he "needed" for the bike. The final sum of what he spent was a bit painful to look at, but the money Kalina had grabbed had covered it. As he grabbed all of the things he had bought, and wheeled the bike to the front, he found Kalina, waiting for him.

"Ready to go Stud? Before you buy the whole store?" she asked him, swinging her single bag back and forth, "Mum and Dad will be expecting us soon…and although Dad has a soft spot for toys, he doesn't quite know what he thinks about you yet so a good impression would be good" she added, sticking her tongue out at him.

She grabbed Sirius' bags and held the doors as he wheeled the motorcycle out to the front. Kalina shrunk his bags and locked them in the saddlebags. She went to shrink hers, but took something out first and then put her bag in the saddlebag. Kalina sat down behind him and set something on his shoulders; it was a brand new leather jacket.

"Yeah…so…it's not a motorcycle…but what's a man without a leather jacket?" she asked him teasingly and then she kissed him on the cheek, "But now…we have to go to dinner…"

Sirius pulled the leather jacket on, "Where to?" he asked.

"The Cauldron" she said.

Sirius turned the bike on, and shifted into first, going slowly in the darkening alley. The headlight turned on just before they reached the brick wall. He brought the bike through the wall and put it just outside The Cauldron's backdoor. Kalina went in first, looking for her parents, and Sirius followed her, finding her parents.

"Hello Mr. Daniels…Mrs. Daniels" he said, shaking their hands.

Kalina came running up to them, a big smile on her face, and hugged her mum and then her dad. "Dad…you've got to see what Sirius got today" she said.

They went out the back of The Cauldron and Mr. Daniels suggested they take the bike back into the alley. He opened the wall, and Sirius rolled the bike out. Mr. Daniels and Sirius were admiring the bike at a distance at first, but then they moved closer and all the individual parts began to be inspected. Kalina and her mum sat down on a bench that was across the alley from Sirius and Mr. Daniels and were chatting.

"So tell me…have you told him yet?" Mrs. Daniels asked.

"About what? What your letter said? Or that other thing?" Kalina answered with a question of her own.

"Both. I would have thought you would have told him about that by now…as for my letter, he's had a hard few weeks, I would have presumed that you would wait for the right time."

"Well…I've told him about neither of them Mum…"

"Just how interested in this boy are you?"

"Mum…I've told you before…I love him…"

"Then why haven't you told him?"

"Because…it's not the right time yet…"

"It is the right time…if you're serious about this boy, it is right. Especially because of my letter…he has a right to make that decision."

"I know…it's just…I don't know…I think I'm afraid…"

"Don't be afraid…he needs to know…you have two weeks. When the school year is officially over, you have to come home; Sirius is going to stay wherever obviously, and you'll have two weeks to tell him and let him decide before it's time."

"Mum…I can't…"

"Kalina Dasni Daniels…"

Kalina stood up at her mother's last sentiment and went over to where Mr. Daniels and Sirius were still looking over the motorcycle. "Let's go get some dinner…" she suggested.

Both faces seemed to be asking her if she was actually serious that she would be willing to leave a motorcycle for a meal. Kalina laughed, "Sirius…you can bring the motorcycle with you, they'll have a place for you to park the bike…although…I don't think they'll let your baby into the restaurant."

Sirius' stomach grumbled and won the interior battle he was fighting. They were all chatting as they walked down the street, or in Sirius' case, pushed himself down the street.

They came up to a square building that was violet and hard little star-looking lights that twinkled in the night sky. "Here's our destination kids…" Mr. Daniels said.

"Daddy…" Kalina said suddenly, drawing out his name warily as they came up to the restaurant, "No!"

"Kal…c'mon Kiddo!"

"Dad…" she said imploringly, but at a look from her father, she put on a slightly miffed, slightly amused face and said, "Fine."

Sirius gazed up at the building; it had in silver neon the words "The Duel Arena", shining in the pitch black.

Mr. Daniels saw Sirius' interest and began to explain, "The Duel Arena is run by the Gones. Right now, their oldest boy is running it. He's about 23, and he judges along with his, um, friend, Nik and their friends Lupus and Lex. They change the arenas around and let people duel while others eat and so forth. Anyone can challenge for a duel, and usually, there are favorites among the champions."

Sirius suddenly noticed that Kalina was missing from their group. He lined his motorcycle up with the others that were sitting outside of the building. He walked in through great silver doors with the Daniels into a front entry area. The space was dark and was lit by the same lights from the outside of the building. When they walked in, Mr. Daniels walked up to a young man with long dark hair who seemed to be waiting for them.

"Professor Gone, so good to see you again!" Mr. Daniels said, shaking the other man's hand

"Mr. Daniels! I see Mrs. Daniels is here, and Kalina has already come through, but who is this with you? He looks like Mr. Black."

Sirius was taken aback at these words.

"He is, Prof. He is; Kal's boyfriend. Now, we were hoping to get something to eat this evening, and do some watching."

"Of course! We have Nik's favorite theme set up this evening, we'll have you come up to the judges' area so you can see well."

Sirius followed the Daniels and Professor Gone through the other doors into the main building where the arena and the restaurant was. The arena was in the center, 100 yards long by about 50 yards wide at the halfway point. It was a circle shape that was about 10 feet lower than the bottom level. There were 11 levels in all with four ramps on each level up to the next. There were tables all over each level each close enough to either be right by the rails to watch the duel or with live-time screens for the larger booths on the sides of the building. The whole inside of the restaurant was in the style of a Tiki hut and beach area. Professor led them up the ramp to the sixth level where there were mainly the judging areas. Inside the judging booths there were tables for delegates and friends to eat and hammocks for the judges and those invited to use them. The hammocks were of the racing style and could easily move around the arena. Prof motioned to a table for four that was set up close to the edge and then moved over to one of the hammocks and whispered in the ear of a young woman. She got out of the hammock and came over.

"Mrs. Daniels! Lexie and I were just talking about having not seen around, erm, recruiting lately. You all certainly have the best view tonight, save for we judges of course. Anyway, what can I get you three to drink…and we do request that anyone with any intention of dueling to not drink."

Each of the three people sitting at the table ordered themselves butterbeer.

Two people rushed into the judging booth just after Nik delivered their drinks. "Lex! Lupus! The first duel's about to begin…we have our favorite down there…and the competition has no clue who he…" she said, and then glanced at their guests "or she is facing."

Lupus cast sonorous on each of the judges and they all went and sat down in their hammocks. The hammocks pulled up to the edge of the arena.

"Welcome to…THE DUEL AREANA!" Lupus said.

"Tonight…we have an old favorite…let's see how their skills have improved since we last saw them." Lex added.

"Our champion tonight is Zach Howitzer-Gantline…at 6' 4", and 123 kilos…he's been our champion for the last few nights…he's very powerful and usually likes to mess with his opponents." Prof. summarized.

A man in heavy, rich robes came out of the defender's door, bowing and waving to the crowd.

"Our first challenger tonight prefers to be known as Eclipse. At 5' 8" and 78 kilos…Eclipse doesn't seem like such a force to reckon with…but Eclipse is sure someone you won't mess with twice. I've watched Eclipse before…and I'm watching Zach making his first mistake of the night here folks…underestimating his opponent." Nik said, introducing the challenger.

The arena fell silent as a first combat boot hit the dirt; tight leather pants and another combat boot came along with a black cape and a blood-red peasant shirt. The hood was pulled over the figure's head, no face could be seen, and they had perfect posture. There was no wand in sight whereas Zach was flipping his over and over in his hands. There was a slight whisper throughout the crowd. "I see Eclipse's reputation precedes her."

Sirius was sure that he looked like an idiot with the expression that was on his face, but he could not believe his ears. Kalina was dueling, and apparently she was good…no…not good…something more than that.

"Now…to go with our restaurant theme this evening…Nik…will you set our arena please?"

Nik flicked her wand and the arena, which had just been a plain dirt patch, turned into a sandy beach with palm trees, two tikis and a tiki hut to work with.

"Duelers…approach, shake hands, bow to your opponent…bow to the judges…and remove yourselves to the back of the arena." Nik said in a commanding voice.

"Now just to remind you all of the rules…No Unforgivables, no expelliarmus, no killing your opponent, no drinking and dueling…all the rulings of the judges are final…any arguments will result in removal from the arena. Neither opponent may cross the center line, precisely half of the tiki hut is on each side, just for those who wish to know." Lex reviewed, "Interior judges, please take your places."

Sirius was on the edge of his seat as Prof said, "Wands at the ready, let the duel begin."

Zach was quick, Kalina hadn't pulled her wand and he had sent a stupefy at her. The man misjudged the reflexes of the girl though who merely sidestepped- her posture saying she was disappointed in such a weak attempt. Zach sent a few more spells her way, and Sirius could tell she was evaluating Zach.

Kalina finally pulled her wand from within her cloak, but it disappeared a moment later. Zach sent a diffindo at her. Kalina hit the sand, rolled, pulled out her wand and a moment later Zach was bound with his wand about 10 feet from him. Kalina called for Zach's wand and it soared into a gloved hand.

"Eclipse hasn't broken her last arena record…she's come close though…2 minutes…" Lupus said, reviewing his records, "For those of you who wish to duel Eclipse, please press the challenge button in front of you."

A number of red lights lit up all around the arena.

"Ah…old favorites return…" Prof mused.

There was a short break while the volunteer duelists went to prepare for their duels. "Eclipse" stood in the middle of the arena, in a ready stance, her cloak thrown back on her shoulders but her hood still up. Her breathing was barely labored but it was now seen that underneath her peasant top that was hanging off her shoulders, there was a corset of sorts.

Zach disappeared with the Medi-wizards as the next duelist appeared.

"Now…we have Lord J. Kelly. 6' tall, 97.5 kilos. He is a year out of Hogwarts, from Slytherin. This is actually a new face here in the arena, although, our circuit judges say, and I quote 'He is a dancer in the ring. He has choice spells.' So without further ado…let the duel begin" Lex said.

"Shake hands…bow to each other…to the judges…Duel!" Nik said.

Lord J suddenly hit the dirt and rolled as though dodging a spell, then he jumped up and started dancing around. Kalina cocked her head at Lord J. Sirius could almost see the bemused look she would have on her face.

"Incendio" she said simply.

"Lord J ran around in circles shrieking in a high-pitched squelch. Sirius laughed; Kalina was toying with the guy. Lord J rolled again, but Kalina went after him again.

"Immobulus." she said lazily.

The man froze.

"Accio wand" she said, catching the wand, twirling it and sticking it in her cloak.

The Medi-wizards carted Lord J off the field, taking the wand from Kalina.

"She broken her old record with this duel…two of them in fact…time and least number of spells in a duel." Lupus said, writing down stats.

"Here we have our 3rd duelist, definitely one of Eclipse's old favorites, bested her a few times when she started on this circuit. Known as Drake Halson, 6'2", 104.3 kilos. He and Eclipse are good friends, but that girl takes no prisoners" Prof said before casting a spell on himself ant turning to Sirius, "Eclipse has a lot of the best duelists on her side. She's been in our circuit for a number of years, coming to England in the summers. She has amazing talent, Hopefully we'll get some more of her old adversaries out here for you to see. Once she left last summer, the good duelists crawled into the woodworks; and then, we got the high and mighty mediocre at best duelists coming and playing kings."

Prof recast sonorous on himself as Nik said, "Let the duel begin."

"Reducto!" Drake bellowed.

"Right off…no mercy between friends." Lex commentated.

Eclipse rolled out of the way and shouted "Rictusempra!" aiming at Drake's feet.

"Tarantallegra!" Drake shouted as she went to jump out of the way.

"Ooh, that spell just nicked his wand arm. That's what happens when Eclipse dances!" Nik said.

"Distraho suus!" Drake bellowed.

Kalina shrieked and fell to one knee as different fears and scenes played in front of her. "Locomotor Mortis!" she hissed.

The power of the spell caused sparks as it rushed towards Drake; the look on his face betrayed the fact that he knew he was finished. The spell knocked him backward, making him drop his wand before sailing upward.

Kalina stood back up and silently called the wand to her.

"We have our winner! Now, Eclipse, if you'll let your friend down…"

Kalina let drake down and shook his hand, giving him his wand back.

"Our next duelist is Liz Tucker. The first opponent Eclipse ever faced in our ring."

They dueled. It started calmly as they felt for each other's weaknesses, but it quickly turned into a cat-fight of sorts.

"Diffindo!" Liz screeched.

It missed Kalina's body, but cut her cloak. She whipped it off and the people in the arena finally saw her face.

"Engorgio!" Kalina shrieked.

Liz's hands began to swell, she dropped her wand and Kalina summoned it to her.

Medi-wizards restored Liz's hands, and she hugged Kalina, taking her wand before leaving the arena.

Kalina went to the back and crouched down at the back of the arena, then went and pushed a button on the back wall.

"Nik…" Kalina's voice came over the intercom," I'm done for tonight…I'm tired and really, really hungry…I'm just out of shape…"

Nik cast Quietus on herself. "Kal…hun…we've got one more person…that's all…please…"

A sigh came over the intercom, "I don't know…"

Nik cast sonorous on herself again, "Folks…I think Eclipse needs a reminder of how much we love seeing her duel.."

The crowd grew louder and louder. Kalina's face was blood red.

"Now, Eclipse…would you turn this crowd down for one last duel tonight?"

The crowd got even louder.

"I'M IN, I'M IN!" Kalina bellowed over the intercom.

"She said she's in! Now, her last opponent this evening calls himself Coma. He's about 5'6", refuses to fill out his weight, and is wearing a cloak." Nik said.

Kalina had been crouching in the back. But the moment Coma walked into the arena, a chill traveled down her spine, she lifted her head out of her hands and stood up.

They approached the center of the arena, each step echoing off the now silent walls of the arena.

Sirius noticed a change in the mannerisms and body language of Kalina s she approached Coma. They shook hands, bowed stiffly to one another, and then to the judges. They moved to the middle of their own sides of the arena, never turning their backs to one another. Someone came and cast a mild sonorous charm on both opponents.

They stood for what seemed to be an eternity. Then they both cast spells at the same time.

"Diffindo!"

"Impedimenta!"

The spells crashed into one another but made their way to the intended targets. Both casters managed to get out of the way.

"Cru..." Coma started.

"Silencio!" yelled quickly.

"FOUL!" Nik shrieked.

Prof jumped up and grabbed her waist as Nik went to hurl herself at Executioner for trying to use an Unforgivable in the arena.

"What a..." Nik shrieked.

"BEEP!" supplied Lupus lazily.

"That..."

"BEEP!"

"Was defying my..."

"BEEP!"

"ing rules. He..."

"BEEP!"

"ing purposely did it! What a"

"BEEP!"

"ing..."

"BEEEEEEEEEP!"

Someone finally managed to cover Nik's mouth and Lupus took over.

"Well…Coma…the details will be sorted out once Prof calms Nik down. But at this point, this duel is over."

Coma had restored his own voice by that time. He shrugged.

"Nox" he said, pointing at the ceiling.

Many people shrieked as the lights went out in the arena.

"Sectumsempra" a male voice hissed quietly.

A gut-wrenching howl rang from the darkness seconds later.

Sirius heard Mr. Daniels restore light to the arena; people calmed down almost immediately. Attention then turned to the dueling field.

Coma was gone, Kalina was there…for the most part. Blood soaked the sand around her.

Sirius was half-way down the stairs before he knew it. He jumped into the arena from the first floor, running towards Kalina until she put up a hand to stop him about 5 feet from her.

She mumbled something and cast a spell on herself. She stopped bleeding and tried and then succeeded in standing up. Kalina turned and faced Sirius, and tried to smirk at him. She swayed on the spot. Sirius caught her pale form just before she would have hit the ground, picking her up and heading towards an exit door.

Her parents came to the door as Sirius walked up to it. They ushered him into a side changing room. Sirius lay Kalina down on the table as a few Medi-wizards rushed in. She had a curved scar on her left cheek to her chin, and then she had a scar from her shoulder all the way to her opposite hip. Her shirt was cut as though by a sword. Mr. Daniels put a hand on Sirius' shoulder and steered him out of the room.

"He escaped…ran out of the arena and disapperated." Mr. Daniels explained.

Seconds later the Medi-wizards were all evicted from the room, the last one forgetting to shut the door all the way.

"Oh Kal, sweetheart…where are you? Come back baby…" Mrs. Daniels' frustrated and worried voice came from behind the door.

Mrs. Daniels came out of the room and pulled her husband to the side.

Sirius took advantage of their deep conversation and slipped through the door. Kalina looked like porcelin, her shirt had been laced up. He slowly reached for her hand.

The second he took her hand in his, the world went black, the last sound he heard was a male voice saying "STOP!". He felt himself rushing through darkness towards and unknown destination. He slowed down, and came to a sudden halt on a hard surface.

Sirius heard a gasp next to him. "Sirius…what…how…what are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"I have no bloody clue as to what I'm doing here…as for how I got here…wherever the bloody hell here is…I don't know…you were blacked out on the table in the side-room, and I touched your hand…" Sirius grumbled, peeved at his new, startling surroundings.

"Dt…I haven't had this problem since I was a little girl…Hey there Tiger…slow down…here is…well…the stars, the moon, the planets…wherever I want to be." Kalina replied, sighing sadly.

"What do you mean, since you were a child? This happens often?" Sirius asked, startled.

"Pad…sit down…this may take awhile."

Sirius sat down on the red, rocky ground below him.

"Right now…we are on the planet Mars, one of my favorite planets to visit. Anyway…let me start from the beginning. I told you about my parents both doing work as Unspeakables and Aurors when they met…then…obviously…they got married. There was nothing spectacular about when I was born…nothing all that wonderful about my family, except for one member. He also had the gift I now possess. As a little tiny girl, I used to only be able to sleep if I could see the stars…my parents found it odd…and when I was angry…objects in the sky moved…not like…clouds…but stars…planets…moons…suns...celestial objects basically. When I was happy, or sad, same story; needless to say, my parents were very concerned…they knew what magical materials they had handled at one point or another…and worried that something like that had altered their DNA and thus…mine. They didn't go looking for help, worried that I would become another…for lack of usable terms…"Case"…found deep inside the guts of the Department of Mysteries. I'd go through times when I was about 3 when I would just black-out and I would be out for what felt like days for me, but only minutes in the real world…they only way I came back was when I got scared and decided to come back. I eventually found out how to control entering my realm as I call it…and could enter when I needed to. I learned how to control the planets, to keep world's safe…to ease stars to their deaths…to bring stars to life…I learned how to use the power outside of my realm…shooting stars…brightening the Milky Way. I can maraud among the stars…and take people with me. I usually leave alone as much as possible…but part of this…is that…well…you know how centaurs read stars? Well…I put the stars how they have to be…I know the predictions before the centaurs do…"

Sirius sat, eyes wide and unblinking. "She's nuts" he thought at first, "No…I'm nuts…is this real?"

Kalina suddenly pinched him.

"What the hl was that for?"

"To prove you're not dreaming. Listen…you know that night we were are the carnival…the reason the lady assumed I knew so much was because of the lines on my palm. Pad…listen…"

Sirius had turned his face away from her, trying to get a grasp on the situation.

"Please…" Kalina said desperately, holding back a sob, "Look at me please…I know I sound insane…but…please…Sirius…please…"

Sirius slowly shook his head, his eyes closed tightly.

"Please…" the words escaped Kalina's mouth almost airlessly and she choked on another sob.

A million thoughts ran through Sirius' mind, so much of this didn't make sense, but here he was and he knew it wasn't a dream, it was a reality. He knew she wasn't insane, he knew her well enough to know that, he was more "insane" than her sometimes what with the pranks he pulled.

"Sirius…please…listen…please…"

Sirius finally turned to look at Kalina again, "I'm listening…this seems nuts…but I'll listen."

Kalina bit her lip, "Let me show you something."

Kalina grabbed Sirius' hand and simply walked into the sky. She took him up close to a different planet. "Here…you can see it best…"

She closed her eyes and suddenly thousands of shooting stars came traveling across the sky, Kalina opened her eyes, "Sirius, I know this seems out there…but it's the world we are a part of…I'm no Merlin for sure. I'm no one special in general…I just know more things about the future…and the stars…than most people. Our world has so many people with quirks…this is just mine…"

As Sirius watched the stars his mind cleared, his stress from the night's earlier events melted away. He considered the facts of the world he lived in, everyone was quirky. Would he have considered Merlin insane if Merlin had told him the same thing? Of course not, it would have been because he was Merlin that he wasn't questioned. It was because she was just a normal witch in most senses that he found it so insane sounding.

"Kali…It seems really out there…but you know what…at least you're on our side of the war." Sirius said.

Sirius couldn't believe how strangely believable the whole situation had become to him, all while watching the stars.

"You mean…you don't think I'm insane?" she asked.

"Well…no. It seems too wild to imagine…but makes all the sense in the world."

"Pad…you can't tell…my Mum has been trying to get me to tell you…I was just worried that you would think I was insane."

Sirius pulled Kalina into his arms, "We should go back, your Mum is worried sick and I'm sure your father is no better off."

Kalina snuggled her face in Sirius' chest, then bit the ring that she wore on her finger. They were falling through darkness, and all of a sudden they were back in the chamber where the journey had started from, Mr. Daniels seemed to have just finished walking through the door as the two appeared again and time moved normally again.

Mr. Daniels' face was that of relief. "Kal…you're back…" he said, coming over and hugging his daughter.

Mrs. Daniels came running into the room and hugged her daughter tightly, mumbling at her about how worried she was and about how if she ever did that again she'd be in big trouble.

Mr. Daniels took advantage of the situation and pulled Sirius outside, a grim look on his face. "Did she explain it to you?"

Sirius nodded mutely.

"I hope you realize what it would mean if people found out about this…the tests…the exhibits…the danger to her…the claims that she was insane…"

Sirius nodded again.

"Will you give me your word that you will not tell anyone about this? And hopefully help her?"

Sirius found his voice, "Of course…I wouldn't betray her…ever."

Mr. Daniels' face relaxed a bit, "My daughter seems to have finally found someone I would trust as well. Just don't let her know that I approve…she'll think I've gone soft."

Sirius smiled, thinking about how odd his night had truly been. Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius noticed the woman from school who had come to teach them in Transfiguration. Mr. Daniels noticed where Sirius was looking and smiled.

"Do you know Clara?"

"She did presentations in our Transfiguration class this year…on the, ah, Anim-Deprendo globe."

Clara smiled and came up to Mr. Daniels and Sirius, "And if I recall correctly, you and Miss Daniels and at least two others kept getting out of those classes."

She had a sly smile on her face as she turned to Mr. Daniels, "Leo, we tried tracing the line, but the person was very sly, managing to apparate into a high-traffic area, a number of them in fact, and is now beyond tracing. We have a many men as we can spare on the case, but we don't have enough…we have a tip-off about a Death Eater gathering."

"Wait…I thought you worked in the Muggle relations Department or something like that?" Sirius interrupted.

Clara laughed lightly, "Well…as far as most of the public knows, that's true. I'm actually an Auror. Not that you ever heard that."

Mr. Daniels smiled, "I think Mr. Black here is true to his word and won't let that secret out. As for not finding Coma…we'll…we really need to keep trying…I'll talk to Moody about it. The man used a spell that has never been heard before. That man is a danger to the wizarding world, especially if he is on the side of the war I have a feeling he is on. No one would recognize the spell…if he's the inventor, or someone that close to the inventor, we have some serious issues here. We can't go exclaiming over the incantation though. The creator might go into hiding and start creating spells from where we can't find him. We'll have it on the look-out sheet."

"Sounds good. I'll let Moody know…he's actually down the hall right now. He's as concerned about this as you…although not as worried about the Death Eaters," she laughed lightly again, "You two are constantly confusing us all…we're not sure whether to be more concerned about He-who-must-not-be-named's cronies or some unheard-of spell."

She apparated away with a small pop. "Well…the day just keeps getting more and more interesting." Sirius smiled.

A moment later a loud pop was heard, and a man Sirius could only assume was Moody came limping down the corridor. He had a cane under his arm, grimacing as he walked on a bad leg.

"Alastor." Mr. Daniels greeted Moody.

"Constant vigilance there Leo." the man responded.

Mr. Daniels laughed, "Too right Alastor, too right. You heard of the Sectumsempra incident did you not?"

"Aye…I've yet to see the results of the spell though. But if you had the troops out on a search like that…I'd say they were pretty bad."

"Well…Kal has scars now that you'll be jealous of."

Moody snickered a bit at that comment, "Leave it to little Miss to get a head start on the scars."

"Yeah…leave it her," Mr. Daniels said a little angrily and sadly, "Anyway. The results of the spell, like I was saying to Clara…"

"You rang?" Clara suddenly said, apparating next to Moody.

"Haha…as I said to Clara here, we need to keep this low key…and find the inventor as soon as physically possible."

"Constant vigilance" Moody muttered, "the girl's lucky she grew up around Aurors…Uncles, Father, Mum, Aunts, and family friends…only way she had a chance to fix herself."

"Yeah…well…she's spent too much time around you Moody. She knows how to scarlessly heal wounds, but likes her war-wounds and makes sure she has the scars to show."

"We've got our best on it, Darkcrow's heading the effort…hopefully we'll have the inventor by tomorrow morning."

"I would have thought you would've sent him to head the Death Eater situation…best new blood we've had in there in years…he's got a few notches in his belt with all the Death Eaters he's gotten since he started."

"Aye…but I thought we needed him on the bigger case. If the Death Eaters get ahold of this spell…"

"True."

"MOODY!"

A blur shot out of the door and rushed at Moody, jumping into his arms.

"Little Miss! How are you?" Moody exclaimed.

"Pretty good."

Sirius looked at the strangest sight he had ever seen; a large, gruff man with a young woman in his arms in a warm embrace.

"Your Dad here says you have some new scars that I'd be jealous of."

Kalina stepped back to let Moody look at the scar on her face and pointed out the one that went from shoulder to hip.

"Leo…" Moody started, looking intently at the scars, "You're right about that spell…we have to find the inventor. It went through leather…no…dragon-hide…good girl…"

Kalina stepped back into Sirius again, "Now…I'm not so sure he doesn't bite." he said jokingly.

Sirius wrapped his arms around Kalina's waist as the adults continued to talk about the spell and what was going on. Kalina took a deep breath and leaned her head back on Sirius' shoulder then kissed his cheek.

"Are you okay?' he asked her.

"Mmm-hmm…I'm just sleepy…and Mum and Dad said something about taking me home tonight."

Sirius shook his head slightly, it hadn't occurred to him the Kalina might go home with her parents; he had assumed that she would be staying at The Cauldron again.

Clara and Moody apparated not too long after and Mr. Daniels (who had been joined by Mrs. Daniels), turned to Sirius and Kalina.

"Well…we owled Mr. and Mrs. Potter earlier on Professor Dumbledore's request. They said that you can come stay with them. I know you would probably prefer to stay out on your own, but the Professor feels you should stay with the Potters until you find a place of your own. Kal, we'll go back with Sirius to get your things and you can come home with us."

"Okay…" Kalina yawned.

They walked out of the Arena as the judges were locking everything down for the night. Prof, Nik, Lex, and Lupus came up and spoke to them for a few minutes, apologizing for Coma's actions. Nik was still seething over the attempted use of an Unforgivable in the arena, and the conversation ended quite suddenly when she burst out in a rant about how the man was scum and so on and so forth.

Sirius and Kalina rode the motorcycle back to the Cauldron to pack up their things. Her parents apparated to the Cauldron and arrived at about the same time.

When they were all packed up, Mr. Daniels shrunk both Sirius and Kalina's trunks, telling Sirius to just tap the trunk 3 times for it to return to its original size.

Kalina hugged Sirius tightly and waited a few moments for her parents to start heading down the stairs before she kissed him.

"I'll come pick you up to get the guys at the train station." he told her.

Her parents apparated and Kalina went up to the fireplace and threw in some floo powder; "1238 Sunrise Circle!" she said before disappearing in green flames.

Sirius went and threw his pocket-sized trunk into the saddle-bags of his motorcycle. He started the bike, shifted to the flying gear and took off into the night sky. About an hour later he arrived at the Potter's where an anxious Mrs. Potter held a cream colored, spotted owl on her arm. She scribbled something quickly, attached it to the owl's leg and let it take off.

Sirius smiled as Dipper took off into the sky, flying back to his owner. He walked into the Potter's home chatting amiably with Mrs. Potter.

"Make yourself at home my dear!" she said.

Sirius smiled, "Do you mind if I place something in here?" he asked.

"Not at all!"

Sirius pulled something out of his jacket, tapped the back of it's head three times and watched it grow.

Mrs. Potter shrieked when she turned around to see a very large tiki statue in the middle of her kitchen.

Sirius eventually re-shrunk it and took it up to his room; falling into bed the second he set everything down, just barely managing to kick off his boots before he fell sound asleep.

Two days later Sirius soared to a stop on the driveway to Kalina's home. It was a log home and absolutely beautiful, although the person who ran out to him the moment he stopped was no eye-sore.

Kalina hugged him tightly before swinging onto the bike behind Sirius. He took off again, soaring over the trees back into London and to King's Cross Station. He hit pavement just a bit before he got there and pulled up right outside the barriers at the station.

A few minutes later, three laughing men pushing trunks came out and stopped dead in their tracks at the sight in front of them: two people, clad in leather, leaning on the most beautiful bike they had ever seen in their entire lives.

Sirius and Kalina laughed as in unison, James, Remus and Peter all asked: "Can I have a ride!"


	21. Tonka Trucks and Owl Post

Author's Notes: Hope you like!

* * *

**Chapter 21: Tonka Trucks and Owl Post**

_Kali,_

_HELP! I need to find a way to go looking at houses without making Mrs. Potter sob._

_-Pad_

* * *

Kalina giggled and scribbled back:

_Pad, _

_You could just say that you wanted to go looking at houses…I'm sure she wouldn't mind._

_-Kali_

* * *

Sirius cringed, and hurriedly wrote back:

_Kali, _

_You don't understand, Mrs. Potter thinks of me as another son. Granted, I think of her as the Mum I never had…but that's not the point. She'd bawl if I told her I wanted to live on my own…besides- they make the motorcycle stay outside, and I want to go buy a house for myself._

_-Pad_

* * *

Dipper flew into Kalina's room about an hour later, stuck his leg out and stalked off once Kalina removed the note. She rolled her eyes and grinned, grabbing her quill.

_Pad,_

_Fine. Hehe. Sirius- would you like to go look at houses today? Mum and Dad wanted me to write anyway and ask you, The Potters, Moony, Worm and Mel and Lil to come for a BBQ tonight, along with anyone else you all want (see how I get out of inviting people?). We could get the rest of the Marauders and look at houses for you and then come back to my house and meet everyone for the BBQ. Owl me if you want to and I'll go shower and be over in about an hour, unless you want to come pick me up on that motorcycle (hehe, nudge nudge, hint hint). Oh, and if Mrs. Potter starts to cry, let me know and I'll floo over quickly. _

_-Kali_

Kalina had to coax Dipper out of his nook and bribe him with lots of owl treats before he would consent to flying with the letter again. Dipper got to the Potters' house about an hour later, landing on the kitchen window, hooting softly. Sirius pulled the letter off of Dipper's leg, examined it quickly before showing it to James.

"You tell Mum…I'll get Moony, Worm and Lil and make Moon invite Mel…God speed Pad…god speed." James said hurriedly, not wanting to be around when Sirius spoke to his Mum.

Sirius walked over to Mrs. Potter who was reading in the den. James disappeared upstairs, planning on notifying Kalina immediately when the breakdown began.

"Morning!" he said cheerfully.

Mrs. Potter looked up over the top of her book, her reading glasses sliding down her nose, "Morning Sirius…" she said warily, "Where is James, what have you two done now? And what was it, short straw or rock, paper, scissors?"

"James, is up writing to Remus and Pete…oh…and Lilly." Sirius said, adding Lilly last to touch on her soft spot.

Her expression immediately softened, "Lilly? So this isn't some intricate plot?" she asked, smiling.

"Nope. Kal owled me this morning, and her parents asked for her to invite us all to a barbeque tonight. They invited you and Mr. Potter as well. And we figured," Sirius paused; this was the moment he was dreading.

"Oh a barbeque, that sounds lovely. But why are you all talking so early? Were you thinking of getting together today before meeting us for the barbeque?" she asked, interrupting Sirius, giving him a moment to prepare himself.

"Yeah…well…when Great-Uncle Alphard died…in his will he left me a number of things, including the ability to buy my own home…"

A small smile appeared on her face as her eyes began to tear, "I see…and?"

_Damn, she's going to make me say this whole thing isn't she_ he thought to himself. "Well…Kal was thinking that maybe it would be fun to go look for a house today…to see if there is anything I like…I mean…I love you all…you're the family I never had…but I can't live here forever…I mean…I can…but I'm sure you wouldn't want me to do that…I eat a lot…and get annoying…and…but…" Sirius paused, he was babbling like he always did when trying not to upset anyone, "But I can't stay forever and I need to be able to learn to live on my own…and I kind of want to live on my own."

Mrs. Potter smiled, "Well…I can't say that I didn't see it coming…as long as you promise to visit, I won't say no…not that I can really; it's very sweet of you to ask. Anyway, I'm sure Kalina will take good care of you." she said, dabbing her eyes.

Sirius found the comment about Kalina interesting seeing as she wasn't going to be living with him unless he could convince her, and her parents to let her. "Well…umm…shall I tell Kal that you answer is 'yes' to the barbeque?"

"Oh, um, yes! Sounds lovely." Mrs. Potter said distractedly, smiling again.

"Well…I'm off to owl Kal back…umm…bye!" Sirius said, backing out of the room and rushing up the stairs to the room he was staying in.

James walked in seconds later, "Well?"

"Well what?" Sirius asked as he scribbled on a piece of paper.

"Well…did she sob? Did she try to get you to stay?"

"Nope. Just said that I better visit."

"I hope it's that easy when I move out."

"It won't be"

"Damn"

"Although, she does have a soft spot for Lilly."

James chucked a pillow at Sirius' head as Sirius let Dipper fly out the window. Sirius grabbed the pillow, "This means war."

* * *

An hour later, Dipper flew into his owner's bedroom where a wet-haired Kalina was brushing her hair out. He hooted and went and landed in front of her on her dresser.

"Thanks Dipper." she said, pulling the letter off of the owl's outstretched leg.

_iKali,_

_She didn't sob! Happy dance! I'll be over in about 45 minutes to get you...I think I'll bring the bike…something told me that you might want a ride. James said that he'd meet us there with Worm and Moon. Lil and Mel can't come this morning, but they'll be at the BBQ. Oh, that reminds me, Mrs. Potter said that she and Mr. Potter would be there, so let's your parents know. You're a genius babe! This should be an interesting day._

_-Pad_

Kalina laughed and finished brushing out her hair. She then padded softly into the kitchen and picked up the Babbler- her parent's invention that they had come up with based on the muggle Telephone.

"Hi Mum!" Kalina said into the bottom of the Babbler, with the top of it up to her ear.

"Hello Kal! Did you write to Sirius?"

"Yup. They can all come, everyone. Oh, and Sirius wants to go house shopping today."

"What?"

Kalina laughed, "His great-uncle left him the ability to choose a house and he wants to go looking for one, and so we're all going."

Kelly let out an audible sigh of relief, "Just don't ever make me be the one to tell your father when you're actually choosing a home for you and whomever you marry."

Kalina laughed again, "No problem Mum. We'll be back by 6:30 latest. I have a distinct feeling that there may be a few more people coming, so maybe if we make some extra food…"

"I always do…I'll make enough for 5 extra."

"Brilliant. Well…Sirius will be here in about a half hour so I'll let you go now. Love you Mum."

"Love you too Kal. Don't forget to finish packing your knick-knacks before you go. We'll get those out this week."

"Yes Mum."

"Love you Kal. I know this will be hard, but just remember we love you too. See you tonight."

"Tonight." Kalina said, hanging up the Babbler on the wall hook.

She threw her head back and let out a sigh of frustration, she didn't want to have to talk to Sirius about this, but she was going to have to.

Kalina went into her room and charmed her hair dry, and then began placing her knick-knacks into a box, wrapping them in a bubble-wrap charm. When she was done, she got a head-start on the book shelves, figuring the more she had taken care of, the less she would have to do- thus giving her more time with Sirius.

* * *

Kalina jumped up and ran down the hallway as a knock sounded at the door. She wrenched open the door to see Sirius standing on the porch looking slightly put-out.

"What's the matter Pad?" she asked immediately.

Sirius sighed and side-stepped, revealing a tiny girl standing behind him, "Kali…my cousin Tonks…Tonks…Kal." he said, introducing them.

The little girl was as cute as could be, "Hi Tonks!" Kalina said, "So are we still going house shopping?" she asked Sirius.

"Yup. About 2 seconds after I sent Dipper out, Kaleidoscope came in through the window interrupting a crucial pillow fight. Andromeda needed me to baby-sit…and since I have back-up today, I figured I'd risk it."

Kalina raised an eyebrow at the "back-up" comment, "It can't be that bad." she said.

Sirius smiled grimly and then let out a bark-like laugh, "Just keep an eye on her hair." he said.

Kalina sighed, she knew better than to ask; he wasn't telling any more. "Let me go get my boots, then we can go."

She walked down the hallway back into her bedroom and slid on her boots, grabbing the leather backpack that she had for the day. She wrote a quick note to her Dad, realizing that her Mum probably wouldn't remember to tell him; especially if they were in different departments that day. Kalina went out onto the porch with Sirius and Tonks, shut and locked the door and then smiled at Sirius, "I'm ready when you are."

Sirius smiled back, "Let's go then. Tonks…lead the way."

The little girl ran down the steps to the driveway where a motorcycle stood propped up on its kick-stand. Sirius hopped onto the bike and Kalina lifted Tonks up so she could ride behind Sirius and in front of her. Kalina put a helmet on Tonks and then got on the back of the bike. Sirius started the bike, shifted a number of times and then took off into the air.

"I told the rest of the Marauders to meet us outside the Cauldron in the alley." Sirius yelled above the wind and the purr of the engine.

They landed just outside of London on a deserted street, somewhere near Grimmauld Place. They rode right up to the Cauldron and in the front door. Right inside the door was a new room that Kalina had never seen before; it was a room for the transportation devices of the wizarding community. There was a spot perfect for the bike and Sirius directed the bike into the spot, turning it off and returning the key to the chain he now wore around his neck. He got off the bike and picked up Tonks, letting Kalina get off. Tonks was dozing and Kalina took her and placed her on her left hip, letting Tonks' head rest on her shoulder. Sirius grabbed Kalina's hand and they left the room. The Cauldron was loud and slightly smoky, but Tonks slept through it all.

A shopkeeper that Sirius had made friends with the a few years before suddenly came out of one of the booths, "SIRIUS!" she exclaimed.

"Vena!" Sirius said, hoping that after a few pleasantries they would be on their way.

"Nice to see you again! And who is this? Where are your manners? Why don't you introduce me to your wife!"

Sirius grew slightly wide-eyed at this, "Oh…umm…well…see…she's…"

Kalina found this all very amusing, "Kalina. Kalina Black. You'd think he'd remember after this many years." she said, rolling her eyes.

Vena laughed, "Nice to meet you! You are beautiful! You two are absolutely adorable together! Good to see someone finally managed to get this one to get married; when I first met him I doubted anyone could ever get him to settle down, but I see he's met someone who can."

Vena laughed again, and Kalina laughed. Sirius laughed out of bafflement and amusement at the game Kalina was playing.

"Oh and who is this little angel?" Vena suddenly asked.

Both Kalina and Sirius remembered Tonks at the same second. What Sirius didn't realize was the little girl had just woken up because of the noise in the bar and the slightly obnoxious voice that Vena was using. Tonks sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Oh…" Kalina started.

"She's quite obviously your daughter! I mean, she has Sirius' hair and your eyes m'dear. And look at that nose, definitely her mother! Although, that face is definitely her father!" Vena exclaimed.

Sirius rocked back on his heels slightly; the world started dimming before he remembered to breathe. He looked over at his "daughter" to see that Tonks did indeed look rather like himself and Kalina. i"Oh damn."/i he thought to himself.

"Why aren't you three just the perfect family! And I must say, Kalina dear- whatever you did to lose the weight you gained with that one really worked! You don't look like you've ever been pregnant a day in your life. You take it slow now you two!" Vena said, her voice reaching a rather annoying volume.

At that moment, Tom the barman walked by and from the looks of it almost passed out. Kalina smiled politely, it was time for her to take care of her duties as a "wife" and get her "family" out of the present situation, "Well thank you! A healthy diet really does it all…anyway…It was lovely meeting you, but we really must be on our way, we have some house…um…shopping to do…some errands…all that fun stuff."

"Of course, of course. I mean, what else would a family being doing in Diagon Alley on such a beautiful Saturday if it weren't errands. It was lovely to meet your family Sirius. Kalina, a joy. And as for you little one…" Vena said, patting Tonks' cheek, "you are the sweetest thing I have ever seen…so beautiful!" she said, finishing with pinching the little girl's cheeks.

Tonks began to tear up, "Mummy…" she said softly in a sad voice.

"Oh dear…well…I'll let you go!" Vena said before disappearing as quickly as she had appeared.

Tonks let out a small sniffle, "Siri…" she said, reaching her arms out to Sirius, who took her hoping that it would keep the sobs at bay.

They quickly headed towards the back of the bar; hurrying so they wouldn't be stopped by anyone else. As they closed in on the exit, an angry Tom stood in front of the door, arms blocking their escape route.

"You two come with me!" he said, backing into the alley.

Tonks reached her arms out to Kalina, and Kalina took her from Sirius as they walked out the door.

"I can't believe you two!" Tom shrieked, "Not even 7th years and already with a family? How are you going to get through Hogwarts now? You should both know better than to…ahem…cough…cough…ahem!"

Sirius was taken very aback and Kalina tried to keep a sleepy Tonks from the shrieking fit she sensed was coming.

"Kal, I'll meet you in the alley." Sirius said, making Kalina open the wall and walk into the alley, "Tom…listen…"

"AHEM! I can't believe you!" Tom bellowed.

"TOM! That's my cousin! The little girl is my cousin! NOT my daughter…and you should know Kalina is not my wife! Vena just thought that! Besides…Tonks is 4! You just saw us not a month ago, obviously not married and no kids in sight."

Tom's face had a mixed look of pondering, confusion, and embarrassment on it, "You mean…you two aren't parents?"

Sirius sighed and inwardly rolled his eyes, "No."

"Oh. Well then. If you see Kalina's father…I'd suggest you run. Have a nice day!" Tom said, rushing into the bar.

Sirius opened the wall and headed out into the alley. James, Remus, Peter, Kalina and Tonks were all sitting at some tables at the soda fountain across the street.

"Kal…you should probably call you father." Sirius said, taking Tonks from Kalina.

"Oh sh-…he didn't!" Kalina exclaimed.

"Language. Yeah…Tom." Sirius said, hoping that Mr. Daniels couldn't get to the alley and find them too quickly.

Kalina pulled out a strange looking object and pressed a button on it.

"Hi Dad!" Kalina said.

She held the phone about a foot away from her ear and still covered her ear with her shoulder her father was yelling so loudly.

"DAD! Calm down!" Kalina said, getting up and walking around the corner going to explain the situation to her father.

"Soo…going to explain?" James asked in a bemused fashion.

"What?" Sirius asked distractedly, wondering if an Auror would attack someone holding a child.

"About why when our old friend Vena suddenly came out of a store Kalina shrieked 'Hide me!' and dove behind us…or perhaps about why this call to Kalina's dad was so important."

"Oh…that…well…" Sirius started.

He explained what had happened in the Cauldron and by the end of it; the Marauders were rolling on the ground laughing hard enough to break ribs.

They were still laughing five minutes later when Kalina came back and said to Sirius, "He understands now…and promises not to kill you…but I couldn't get you out of a stern talking to."

Sirius laughed in relief, "Well…as long as I get to live 'til tomorrow…"

It took about another 5 minutes to get Remus, Peter and James to stop laughing, by which time Kalina and Sirius had figured out where the realty office was and Tonks had woken up completely and was looking from one person to another with her eyebrows creased in a concerned manner.

Remus was the first to recover, "But Pad…Tonks there looks nothing like either of you…except Clips' blue eyes."

Sure enough, when everyone looked, a brown-haired, blue-eyed little girl gazed serenely back at them. Sirius sighed, "I gotta watch that hair." he mumbled, confusing everyone at the table.

Kalina smirked, "Well…let's get going…today's going to be a long one…I can see that already." she said, standing up and walking in the direction of the realty store.

James snickered, "Of course, iMrs. Black/i…whatever you say…wouldn't want your hubby to beat me senseless."

Kalina turned on her heel and met James nose to nose, "He won't have to…because we both know iI/i will." she said, smiling sweetly and then turning around again.

The rest of the group laughed and Tonks ran up to Kalina, reaching her arms up, asking to be picked up. They walked down the street, joking and laughing until they came to a sign that read: "BAPHM Realty" in bright silver letters with a purple background.

They walked in the door to find an immaculately decorated office and to hear the shriek of "KALINA!"

Kalina looked up from the brochure she had picked up and shrieked, "HANNAH!"

A beautiful woman came out from a back-room of the office and came up to Kalina. Sirius quickly grabbed Tonks before she got smushed in a hug. "Hannah! I haven't seen you since last year!" Kalina exclaimed excitedly.

"I know! How are your Mum and Dad?" Hannah asked.

"Oh they're doing great…busy as usual…said to tell you if I saw you that we love the house…and of course…with all that is going on with it right now…" Kalina said, trailing off, her tone apparent that it wasn't a topic to be spoken about that day, "So how is Tom?"

"Wonderful! He's doing so well in Med school right now…working on a new potion these days."

"That's great!"

"How may I help you today then?" Hannah asked.

"Well, I'll let Sirius explain to you what he's looking for and what the situation is."

"Alrighty. Come with me into this office and we'll look at some listings and we'll look up your great-uncle's file."

Sirius raised an eyebrow and Hannah laughed, "We've been waiting for this. Ever since the will went into effect, we figured we should have the file open. I'm sorry about the loss."

Sirius followed Hannah into a bright office that had dozens of pictures of homes on the walls.

Peter, Kalina, James, Remus and Tonks decided not to go into the office and opted to sit and either look at magazines, or in Tonks' case- build things with the building bricks that were out for little kids. Eventually, all 5 of them were playing with the blocks, reconstructing Hogwarts and the Shrieking Shack. Hannah came out of the office and went into the one across the hall, and came back with a foot high stack of papers.

"SHIT!" they heard Sirius exclaim as the pile was sat in front of him, and he started to look at what the papers were: house listings.

Hannah came out laughing a moment later, "Kal…I do believe he's going to need a pro-house-shopper to help here. Otherwise…I think he's going to drown."

Kalina laughed, "Be right back." she said to Tonks and the rest of the Marauders.

Sirius sat gaping at the large pile of papers in front of him, and Kalina could help but laugh a little. "Pad…lets go out into the front…we can have the other 3 help us look."

Sirius nodded mutely, it was the second time in a month that he was bombarded with paper in massive quantities. Kalina grabbed the papers and went out into the lobby with Sirius following behind her.

"Okay, what kind of house do you want?" she asked.

Sirius sat down on the floor by James, Peter and Remus and a thoughtful look crossed his face, "A wood-sided house…so it looks log…but isn't…a huge garage…lotsa bedrooms…and bathrooms I guess…a lot of land..."

"Okay…let's go with that first." Kalina paused and picked up her wand, aiming it at the stack of papers, "Ut is orator!"

Papers shot out of the pile, crumpling themselves into balls and flying into the trash bin. The pile was a quarter as large as it was before. "What else?" Kalina asked calmly, as though she did it every day.

"Umm…a big kitchen…umm…I dunno…what would you want in a house?" Sirius asked, finding a sly way to get her to help choosing.

"Probably wood floors…lots of windows…surrounded by pine trees…a cliff for the hell of it…with a beautiful view…lots of storage…a fireplace…a patio…definitely a big kitchen…big closets…secluded…very secluded…calm…out of town…"

Sirius picked up his wand, "Ut is orator!"

Three-quarters of what was left zoomed out of the stack, throwing the extras away.

"Any ideas mates?" Sirius asked.

"Pull barn" James said immediately.

"Fenced in" Remus said.

"Basement" Peter added.

"Oh…big great room…screw family and living rooms." Sirius suddenly added.

Kalina laughed, "Ut is orator!"

Three-quarters of the papers that were left zoomed away into the trash bin.

Hannah came over to the group, "I see we've narrowed down the houses."

Kalina hopped up off the ground and handed the brochures to Hannah, "Yeah…So can we go see them today?"

"Of course! While you all were working on finding the houses you wanted to look at, I got some transportation arranged. If you'll just follow me. I'll program it and we'll be on our way." Hannah said, heading towards a back office.

Hannah ran the brochures through a machine at the back and then messed with a few buttons on box on the wall.

"Here we go! The house-seeing-elevator!" Hannah exclaimed.

Two doors opened and the Marauders and Tonks stepped in with Hannah following them.

"We'll go to the ones nearest the office first…and work our way out."

There were buttons on the wall, all labeled with numbers starting from 1 and going up. Hannah pressed the first button and the elevator disappeared with a pop. Seconds later, they appeared again, but in front of a house.

Sirius stepped off first and gasped. Everyone else pushed off the elevator and stopped dead in their tracks. A ten story house loomed in front of them.

"No way" Sirius said, "It doesn't have a fence."

Kalina thought he was teasing and said, "Well…you can always have one put in…"

"Too right!" said James, catching Kalina's tone.

"Let's go look!" Sirius yelled, and ran up to the house.

The rest of the Marauders looked at each other in horror. Kalina picked Tonks up and put her on her back to give her a piggyback ride.

Sirius was already half-way up the first 5 flights of stairs. Peter, James, Remus and Kalina all walked over to the center and looked up to the top, seeing an unending staircase wrapped around the inside of the house. The staircases themselves had house elves head mounted and hung on the walls.

Kalina and James looked at each other, "Grimmauld Place." they stated simultaneously.

James and Remus bolted up the stairs after Sirius, plugging their ears after a strange haunting sound came to them. Both stopped when they felt their minds being tugged to come farther up the stairs, but a sensible part told them not to.

"CLIPS!" Remus yelled, "You'll have to come get him…quick! We can't go any farther."

Kalina was baffled by the statement, but figured she should get a move on. "Worm, watch Tonks…don't let her wander off."

Peter's eyes widened as Kalina ran up the stairs two at a time, "What the hell am I thinking?" she suddenly said aloud, and dissapparated with a crack.

She arrived seconds later a mere flight of stairs behind Sirius. She ran up the stairs as fast as humanly possibly. There was a door at the top of the last flight of stairs and Sirius was getting there quickly. Kalina ran and tackled him just before the door. Sirius looked at her with a strange, not-quite-all-there look and then pulled her head down and kissed her hard. Kalina rolled her eyes, and grabbing his wrist, disapperated. They arrived, standing, downstairs just before Remus and James got to the bottom of the flight of stairs. Kalina pushed Sirius away just a bit, not that she wasn't enjoying the situation, but they were getting teased badly enough that day as it was.

Sirius quickly realized what he was doing and backed away. Kalina turned bright red and started looking around; heading towards the kitchen for Tonks and Peter weren't at the bottom of the stairs anymore.

"Kal, they're out here!" Sirius yelled; he had left the house after Kalina had wandered into the kitchen.

Kalina got out of the house as quickly as she could, slamming the door behind her.

"What do you think?" Hannah asked.

The boys looked at one another, and Sirius shook his head, "It's not going to work."

"There seems to be a Siren upstairs."

Hannah's eyes widened, "That's new. The people who own this house are extremely strange…perhaps they added it. Ugh."

They filed back into the elevator, and Hannah pressed the next button. As they stepped out of the elevator, everyone cocked their heads to the side.

James found his words first, "It's pink."

"Yup" Sirius said.

"That's weird"

"Yup"

"Think it's pink inside?"

"Probably"

They walked into the house anyway, holding their breath as they walked over the threshold. Kalina spun on her heel and got out of the house as fast as possible; James, Remus, Peter and Tonks right on her heel. Sirius only lasted moments longer before he sprinted out the door back into the elevator.

The next five or so houses went just a bit quicker, and after that, the doors of the elevator would open and they would know at first glance whether or not the house was interesting enough or not to go look at.

They had been at it for about 3 hours- James, Remus, Peter and Tonks we all sitting in the back of the elevator having competitions over how long each person could hold their breath. Hannah pushed the third to last button on the wall, and when the door opened, Kalina gasped.

Everyone turned to see a beautiful wood house. It was exactly what they had all described earlier in the day, down to the "cliff for the hell of it".

"I'll ta-"Sirius began, before Kalina clapped her hand over his mouth.

"Let's go take a look everyone."

Kalina picked up a sleepy-eyed Tonks and walked off the elevator. Sirius followed her, and Peter, James and Remus followed. The house was completely surrounded by beautiful pine trees, and the light from the setting sun streaked through. Sirius opened the door to the house and was awe-struck. The entryway had hard-wood floors and had a clear view to the back of the house where light was streaming in the window. There was an archway entrance into a room on the left of the entryway.

They walked into the room to find a dinging room area that had a small arched doorway that led to the kitchen. The dining room had a dimming light switch with a simple hanging fixture. Kalina carried Tonks into the kitchen. The kitchen was hardwood just like they had seen thus far in the rest of the house. The countertops were a cream color and the cabinets were cedar. Kalina set Tonks down on the countertop next to the sink as she crouched down to check out the drawers. Sirius walked in, and noticed a slightly mischievous look on Tonks' face. He looked at her hands which held a little sprayer and the water was running.

Sirius had enough time to think, i_"Damn"/i, _before he was completely drenched in water.

Tonks looked up at Sirius with big huge puppy dog eyes, "Sorry."

Sirius looked at his pink-haired cousin and said, "I'll give you a five second head start…go."

Tonks took off around the corner giggling and screaming.

Kalina stood up and put the sprayer away, looking at Sirius curiously. She cocked her head at him, but rolled her eyes at him in the end, "Pad…let's just go look at the rest of the house…mmm-k?"

Suddenly, Sirius took off through the great room with its great big windows that showed the view off of the cliff, for the trees cleared just a little ways from the deck and showed the view to the edge. He slid on the wood floors as he rounded a corner and sprinted down the hall. He passed 7 secondary bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.

Tonks was giggling and skidding around corners until she found the stairs. She ran down them as fast as she could and saw Remus. She ran up behind him and hid behind his knees, burying her face into the back of his knees with her arms wrapped tightly around them. "Don't let him get me!" she squealed as they heard Sirius pound down the hallway upstairs.

Sirius meanwhile rushed past closets and the master bedroom that was at the end of the hallway on the left while he rushed down the stairs to the basement on the right. Sirius rounded the corner and only saw Remus downstairs. Kalina came up just behind him and sat down on the bottom step.

"Where's Tonks?" Sirius asked, panting.

Remus evaluated Sirius' condition and then he took one look at the pink-haired figure behind him and then he looked back to his friend who was advancing toward him menacingly, water dripping from his hair and boots. He turned back to the little girl, "You did this?"

She smiled evilly and nodded.

Remus snickered, "I should have known."

"Where'd the little hooligan go?" Sirius asked.

Tonks squealed and hugged Remus' legs tighter, "I haven't seen her."

"I just need to talk to her about responsible pranking…not pranking the one who taught her all she knows."

"And all you know…" Remus muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing…Padfoot…you can't prank a 4 year-old."

"She's not a 4 year-old! She's a mini-Marauder…all minis are fair game!"

"Pad…I think you've lost your mind…she's 4!"

"So?"

"Pad…c'mon…you feeling the need to reek revenge on a 4 year-old?"

Sirius thought for a moment, mumbled something about "Just wanting to teach her a lesson." but then turned around and said, "Well, let's go and finish looking around."

Sirius headed towards a door at the right side of the basement, and as Kalina got up to go, Tonks came around to the other side of Remus.

"Thank you Remy!" she said sweetly, hugging him tightly, "I love you!" she said, and kissed him on the cheek.

Then she ran out the door.

Kalina walked over to Remus and said, "Come on Moon…and stay away from Tonks…wouldn't want Mel to get upset with you."

Remus laughed and followed Kalina through the door that Sirius had passed through. They looked around the garage and found Tonks running from Sirius.

Tonks ran and jumped into Remus' arms and Kalina went and grabbed Sirius' arm. Remus took Tonks and snuck out leaving Kalina and Sirius alone. They finished looking in the garage and then went back upstairs where James, Peter, Tonks and Remus were waiting, talking among themselves.

"Wanna go look around outside?" Sirius asked the group.

James shrugged, and Peter quickly copied, as Remus said "Sure." and Tonks grabbed Kalina's fingers.

They went out to the grounds and found a pull-barn. There was a loft area for extra storage, and the area underneath the loft had shelves and hooks to hang things up. The pull-barn was huge, and Sirius, Remus, Peter and James' eyes lit up with excitement at the pranks they could plan and test in there.

As the boys began to gape and plot, Kalina walked with Tonks out past the tree line. Tonks found a snail on the ground just by the trees and refused to go a step farther.

"I wanna put it in my pocket!" she said, jutting out her lower lip, and looking mournfully at Kalina.

"Tonks, if you put it in your pocket, it'll smush, and then he'll be gone forever."

"It's a girl. Not a boy. Boys are icky."

"What about Remus?"

Tonks giggled, "He has cooties too."

"What's the snail's name then?" Kalina asked.

Tonks had a thoughtful look on her face, "Hmm…her name is…is…Confetti."

Kalina stifled a laugh, "I see…so…would you like to stay right here with Confetti, or come with me?

"I'm gonna stay with Confetti…I don't want her to get lonely."

"Okay then. But you may not move from this tree. If you want to come out to where I am, you need to tell me okay?" Kalina said

"Okay!" Tonks said, squatting down and picking up her snail.

Kalina walked out to the cliff, and a beautiful breeze blew around her. The air was cool, and Kalina felt at home. She looked down off the edge of the cliff, and saw it dropped straight down into a canyon that snaked through the bottom. There were other ledges all around, but the one she was standing on seemed to be the only one that was really accessible. There was a small trail that was about 2 or 3 feet wide that led down the side of the cliff. Kalina made a mental note to go check it out later. A bird of prey screamed high above the canyon walls, and Kalina felt the part of her that loved the stars soar on the wings of the bird.

A sound pierced the silence: "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Kalina turned and her heart dropped into her stomach as her eyes focused on a purple-haired blur come streaking towards her. And the cliff.

* * *

The heads of the four boys turned as a shriek full of fear filled the air.

The blood drained from Sirius' face and he ran out of the pull barn towards the origin of the scream; James, Peter and Remus following Sirius out of the barn.

Sirius sprinted through the trees, his heart pounding and the bitter taste of fear filling his mouth. He knew the scream, it wasn't the giggly shriek he had heard moments before, which he could tell without question had come from his cousin. The scream was full of fear, and he knew it was Kalina's scream. She never screamed; even when something dangerous was going on, and with each thud from his boots his mind came up with more and more thoughts about what had made her scream.

He burst through the trees onto the cliff, and skidded to a halt- Remus, James and Peter coming up right behind him.

Kalina was sitting on the edge of the cliff with her legs dangling off the edge. Her arms were wrapped around a silver-haired child who was fighting tooth and nail to get away from her- in the direction of the drop to the canyon floor.

Sirius pushed his hair out of his face and walked over to Kalina. Once the pounding in his head subsided, he realized that Tonks was sobbing. He went up behind Tonks and grabbed her securely in his hands, holding her close. As Tonks sobbed into his shoulder, he put his hand out for Kalina, and pulled her to her feet.

"CONFETTI!" Tonks sobbed into his ear.

James looked at Kalina, "Confetti?" he asked as Sirius tried to calm his cousin.

"Her snail. She found this snail out by the trees. Named it Confetti. I told her to stay right there, and walked over here. Next thing I hear, she shrieks and comes running at the cliff. I caught her in my arms, and had to sit down she was fighting my hold so hard. She threw the damn snail over the cliff."

"CONFETTI!" sobbed Tonks again.

Kalina went and slid her arms through Sirius' and grabbed Tonks. She lifted Tonks out of Sirius' arms and went and sat down by the trees, patting Tonks' back lightly.

James, Peter, Remus and Sirius went over to the edge of the cliff and looked down towards the bottom.

"That's not a fall I'd want to have." Peter said darkly.

James let out a low whistle and ruffled his hair.

They all looked up at each other, "Let's go down!" they said in unison.

Sirius walked away for a moment and went over to Kalina and Tonks. Tonks had stopped crying, but her lower lip was still jutted out and her eyes were still watery. Tonks stuck her hands in her pocket, and then reached up to Sirius, asking to be picked up. Sirius moved to pick her up, and she smushed her fingers into his shirt and then stuck them in her pockets quickly as Sirius picked her up. As her head came level with his, Tonks pulled her hands out of her pockets and then, did something that made the Marauders gasp. She ran her hands through Sirius' hair. She giggled, and Sirius smiled accommodatingly at her. He went to fix his hair and gasped; he pulled his fingers down to find them covered in peanut butter.

Kalina bit her lip hard, but James, Remus and Peter were rolling. Tonks giggled at Sirius' predicament, and said to him, "Siri…you look funny with peanut butter in your hair."

James, Peter and Remus started laughing even harder at the nickname that Tonks used for Sirius, but Sirius didn't notice. He just stood staring at his fingers.

James recovered first, "Let's go down the path here." he said, starting down the trail Kalina had noticed minutes before.

Sirius set Tonks down, and she ran over to Remus. "What am I supposed to do about this peanut butter!" Sirius asked

"According to the brochure," James said, pulling it out of his pocket with a flourish, "Down the trail there is, and I quote, 'A lovely spring with cliffs for diving and jumping pleasure.' Thus, mate; there'll be water for you and your hair."

Sirius' face brightened, "Alright, let's go."

He turned around to Kalina as the other Marauders started down the trail with Tonks. She was fairly pale, her hands were shaking and her lip looked as though it were going to bleed.

"Kali?" he asked, crouching down in front of her, eyebrow quirked.

"That was the single scariest most moment of my entire life." she said, her voice a whisper.

Sirius quirked an eyebrow at her, "Tonks coming at the cliff?" he asked.

"You wouldn't believe how the world slowed down as I saw that little girl come running at the cliff…I thought she was going to jump, not understanding what would have happened…" her voice trailed off, and Sirius almost see her thinking about what could have happened if Tonks had flown off the edge, "What if I hadn't caught her?"

Sirius pulled Kalina off the ground and pulled her into his arms, causing her to laugh a little bit. Sirius was slightly confused, "Hey? What's so funny?"

Kalina stepped back, showing him her shirt which was also covered in peanut butter from the hug. Sirius pulled her into a tighter hug, and grinned, "Don't think about 'What if'- you caught her and that's all that matters. Now…let's go…this peanut butter is starting to get crunchy in the sun."

They ran down the path, skidding and slipping on loose gravel until they came up behind the other Marauders and Tonks who were all casually hiking down the trail. They turned a corner that led down under an arch that led into a cave of sorts. The cave had no ceiling and was very open, and had 100 foot sheer walls on three sides. There were steps carved into the cliff side on their left, leading down to the water. They cliff extended out about 10 feet and then took at least a 25 foot drop. They noticed a cliff that was a little bit higher and one that was a little lower with about a 10 foot drop.

Remus picked up Tonks, and the group moved towards the edge of the cliff. Kalina and Sirius edged in front of the group a bit, and James and Peter exchanged an evil look.

"One" mouthed James.

"Two" Peter mouthed, reaching his arms out.

"Three" James said aloud, ramming his outstretched hands into Sirius' back as Peter rammed his hands into Kalina's back.

They both went off the edge, flailing their arms as the water quickly approached. With a loud splash they both hit the water.

James, Peter and Remus all looked at each other.

"7?" Peter proposed.

"Nah…8.7" Remus said, gazing at the water.

"No, no, no…I'd give them a 9.8…I mean…simultaneous…relatively small splashes for this size drop…no screaming…and if we give them any lower of a score…there is a good chance that our deaths will be just a bit more painful."

Remus nodded, "Too right mate…too right."

Kalina and Sirius resurfaced, and Kalina rolled her eyes, "Pad…you still have peanut butter in your hair."

Sirius went back underwater as Kalina swam for the shore, pulling herself up onto the little flat area that then gave-way to the staircase. She twisted the water out of the front of her shirt, and twisted the water out of her hair only to be sprayed again as Sirius got out of the water and shook his head like a dog. Kalina glared at him as her bangs dripped water into her eyes and the rest of her clothing dripped large dollops of water onto the dirt. Sirius grinned and went to wipe a drop of water off her face that had landed on her face when he shook his hair. His finger went up to her face, and she pushed hard against his chest, making him stumble backwards towards the water as she grinned mischievously. He smirked, grabbed her around the waist just as he completely lost his balance and fell back into the water, bringing her with him.

Sirius came up first and Kalina came up moments later, a look to kill in her eyes. Sirius pulled himself out of the water just as Kalina did. He pushed her back in and began running up the stairs, draining water from his hair and clothes as he ran. Kalina resurfaced, calmly got out of the water and walked tranquilly up the stairs, dripping the whole way.

As Sirius reached the top of the stairs James turned and said, "We gave you a 9.8 on that first splash…but that second one…tsk tsk tsk…6…and that was generous."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at James, but turned around to see Kalina almost at the top of the steps. He backed slowly away as he caught sight of the evil glint in his girlfriend's eye, "Now Kali…Kal…you wouldn't want to push me off would you?"

From the evil smirk that graced her wet face, Sirius found his answer. Kalina quickly wiped her face of all emotion and walked towards Peter first. Peter subconsciously backed towards the edge of the cliff with each step Kalina took. Peter passed James and James joined Peter in backing away from Kalina. Peter went off first, yelping as the drop had come up on him unexpectedly. James had turned to watch Peter's splash, and found himself in the air after Kalina pushed him off.

Kalina turned around, and her sight settled on Remus.

"Now 'Clips…I didn't do anything…I don't have to be pushed off…shit…" he said as Kalina advanced towards him.

Remus set Tonks down and decided to back towards the ledge where everyone else had jumped.

She came up within three feet of him as he stood on the ledge. Remus stopped for a moment as asked, "Alright with you if I jump?"

Kalina shrugged, she didn't care how he went over the cliff as long as everyone was wet. Remus jumped off, whooping as he went down.

Sirius was sneaking out as Kalina turned her gaze back to him. She got in the way of his escape and he gave her a pleading look, "Please?" he asked.

"Nope."

"Please?"

"Uh-uh."

"Please."

"No way in hell."

"Please?" he asked one last time.

Kalina rolled her eyes and reached out to his stomach at started to tickle him. Sirius tried valiantly to control his laughter and not to back up, but couldn't get away. He kept backing up closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. He was standing right on the edge as he said to her, "Kali…c'mon…please?"

"Nope." she said sweetly, tickling him again as he stepped backwards and fell towards the water laughing. Tonks had snuck down the stairs, and Kalina noticed that she was heading towards the smaller cliff. Kalina ran down the steps and grabbed Tonks, "Here…let's go down to the bottom, then you can come swimming with us."

"Okay." she said, an evil grin spreading across her face.

Kalina took Tonks to the bottom the stairs and let her run towards the water. The three boys who had been swimming towards the side watched as Tonks jumped, ready to be there in a split second if she needed help.

Sirius snuck out of the water after Tonks had swum over to James and Remus, grabbed Kalina around the middle and threw her into the water. She came up and swam over to the edge, holding her hand out for him to help her out. He fell for it and reached his hand out to her; Kalina grabbed it, and yanked him into the water.

"Oldest trick in the book Pad…jeez!" she said playfully, sticking her tongue out at him.

After a few more minutes of swimming around, they all went and got out of the water, and Kalina went to cast drying spells on everyone.

Everyone was dry except Sirius and herself, and as she went to cast the spell on Sirius, he stopped her. "I'm going to go jump off one last time." he said, and ran up the stairs.

Everyone was confused but ran after Sirius; he didn't stop at the main cliff, but proceeded to the highest one. Kalina rushed after Sirius and came to a halt on the cliff beside him.

"It's a long way down…" she said softly, her voice wavering a bit.

"I'm gonna jump…This is gonna hurt…" he said, saying the last part softly- almost to himself.

He stepped toward the edge and Kalina grabbed his hand and stepped forward with him. Sirius turned and looked at her quizzically.

Kalina smiled and shrugged, "You jump I jump."

Sirius grinned and they both jumped at the same time, flying through the air. They were enveloped in water at the same moment. They swam over to the side, pulling themselves out of the water, and then walked slowly up the stairs.

"That looked painful." James said, smirking.

Sirius looked at him, "There are going to be bruises galore tomorrow Prongs." he said, grimacing as Tonks came and poked his leg.

They left the cavern, opting to go back to the house rather than proceed farther down the trail. They chatted about the house as the trucked back up the trail, but Sirius was unusually quiet.

They walked through the trees, past the pull barn, and back into the house. Sirius went and looked around again, stopping and gazing out the big front window at the sun before turning around and saying to Hannah, "I'll take it!", his face showing how pleased he was.

"Alright then!" Hannah said enthusiastically.

With a snap of her fingers, a quill and some parchment appeared and she brought them over to Sirius. They went into the kitchen so Sirius had a place to sign, and after a few moments of looking over the contract that said basically that Sirius would take the house as it was, so on and so forth, Sirius signed the contract with flourish.

The parchment disappeared, and Hannah turned to Sirius and shook his hand, "Congratulations Mr. Black! And welcome to your new home!"

She handed Sirius a key and they all headed towards the door. Everyone else went to the elevator, but Sirius said, "One second mates, I want to look at something."

The group shrugged, and continued to head to the elevator. They waited for a few moments and then Kalina went back inside.

She found Sirius looking out the front windows with a glazed look on his face. Kalina came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin on his shoulder. "Hey there Tiger." she said softly.

Sirius sighed, "Hey babe."

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just thinking."

"'Bout what?"

"How perfect this house is."

"Pad…how perfect u_your_/u house is."

"Yeah…my house…" he said musingly.

"Ready to go?"

"Yup."

They left the house- Sirius locking the front door and hanging the key on the chain around his neck along with the motorcycle key.

They walked off the front porch and headed back to the elevator. Sirius stood in the front of the elevator looking back at the house. "i_My house_/i." he thought to himself, smiling.

The elevator doors closed, and they were transported back to the realty office. Sirius had Hannah make copies of the key and Kalina invited Hannah to come over with Tom if they wanted for barbeque that night, before they left the office. Kalina pulled an object out of her purse, pushed a few buttons and then put it up to her ear.

"Hi Mum!" she said, "Yup…Fine thanks…Yes-it's beautiful! You'll have to have Sirius tell you all about it…Hannah showed us around…Yup…Tom's Hannah…I invited them to dinner…How did Sirius do? Oh just fine- he got better at it…Do you need anything before we come home?"

She paused, grabbed a piece of parchment and a quick-quote-quill, sucked on the end, and then handed them both to Sirius.

"Desserts: Pie, cookies, ice cream. Red wine…and brown sugar…" she said, and the quill scribbled away, "Got it. We'll be there shortly."

They walked down towards Ollivander's. There was a food shop near the apothecary, and Kalina went in.

She came back out about 10 minutes later as the clock struck 4. She handed the bag to Sirius, sticking her tongue out at him as she picked up the pink-haired four-year-old who was reaching up for her. They walked back to The Cauldron and as Kalina was telling Peter, James and Remus where to floo to, a highly obnoxious screech of, "Sirius!" filled their ears.

"Oh shit." Sirius swore.

Kalina turned around, a fake smile of happy surprise plastered on her face, "Vena!" she said, her voice artificially peppy.

"Darling!" Vena drawled- the firewhiskey bottle in her hand explaining the slight slur in her voice, "How old is that darling child of yours?"

"4..but we really must be going." Kalina said, trying to back away.

Vena wrapped an arm around Kalina's shoulders and said, "You…you're…HICCUP!...a lucky woman…HICCUP!...some women don't get the chance to have a…HICCUP!...life with their soul mate…HICCUP!...and have a…HICCUP!...family with them…HIC!...lives end…HIC!...early…HIC!...but life goes on…" Vena hiccupped.

Peter, Sirius, Remus and James stood there gaping as Vena babbled and Kalina seemed to grow pale.

Kalina's head began to throb, she felt a little sick to her stomach, "We have to go…NOW!" Kalina said, panic lacing her voice.

Peter, Remus and James flooed away quickly and Sirius grabbed an unsteady Kalina around the waist as she held tightly to a yellow-haired Tonks. Vena continued to babble after them as Sirius guided Kalina around tables to the closet where the bike was.

Suddenly Kalina said, "You know- if Tonks really was our daughter…and everything else was the same…like our ages…we would have had to have been ijust/i 12 years old when I got pregnant…and almost 13 when I had her." her voice was faraway, and her breathing was unsteady.

Sirius stopped what he was doing and gazed at Kalina in a very concerned manner; she was pale and her eyes were very dark- almost black, and slightly glazed. "Kali? What's wrong baby?"

Kalina shook her head slightly and although she was still pale and her eyes still dark, they were clear again. "Huh? I'm fine…let's go…please?"

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at her, but got on the bike anyway, taking the key from the chain and starting the bike as Kalina set Tonks behind Sirius and climbed on. They rode through the streets until they got near Grimmauld Place again and then took off into the air. Sirius glanced over his shoulder at Kalina and put a hand back to her, grabbing one of hers and squeezing it reassuringly; she squeezed his hand back, but not in her usual way- it was much weaker.

They arrived back at Kalina's house about 20 minutes or so later; Sirius brought the bike right up by the garage door and turned off the bike.

Kalina picked Tonks up and Sirius grabbed the grocery bag before they headed up the stairs to the front door. Kalina opened the door and they walked into the front hall. She took off her boots and helped Tonks take off her shoes; Sirius slid his boots off and followed Kalina into the kitchen where the heavy smell of marinating meat wafted from.

Kelly came out of the kitchen and smiled at the three, "Hello! Hello Sirius! Leo wanted to talk to you, he's on the back deck…Oh, James, Remus and Peter are there as well…Leo is probably telling them a story."

"Um…where should I put the grocery bag?" Sirius asked a bit sheepishly.

"Oh…let's see…just plop it on the counter…Thanks so much!" she said, grabbing some wine glasses and something to uncork the wine bottle with, "And this must be Tonks!" Kelly said, noticing the orange-haired girl in her daughter's arms.

Tonks grinned and reached for Kelly.

"Come here sweetheart…we'll find you a snack…" Kelly said, taking Tonks and heading towards the pantry.

"Just not peanut butter Mum!" Kalina said suddenly, still not looking like herself, but definitely sounding more like herself.

They heard Kelly laugh and acknowledge Kalina's plea before they went out onto the back deck where Leo was sitting, telling some story to the rest of the Marauders who looked enthralled by the tale that was being retold to them. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were sitting, and Mr. Potter seemed to be helping Leo retell the story.

Kalina went up behind her dad and kissed him on the cheek, "Hi Dad!" she said, giving him a hug.

"Hey there kiddo! Here…pull up a hammock…we're telling one of your favorite stories!"

Kalina pulled a hammock over and motioned for Sirius to come over as she plopped down onto the hammock. Sirius sat listening to the story about school and Quidditch games, rocking slowly with Kalina until Kelly called for her from the kitchen.

Kalina walked into the kitchen and found her mum talking to Lilly, Mel, Hannah, Tom and two people who she could only assume were Tonks' parents. Lilly and Mel chatted with Kalina for a few minutes before they went out onto the deck. Hannah and Tom joined the ever-growing group outside a few minutes later and Kalina and Kelly kept chatting with Andromeda and Ted until Kelly convinced them to stay for dinner. Once everyone was out on the deck, Kelly turned to Kalina, "Hun, you don't look like you're feeling so well."

"I'm fine Mum…just had one of those moments today…still feeling it a bit."

Kelly smiled at Kalina before giving her a hug. "Why don't you show your friends around the grounds?"

Kalina smiled, "Sounds good." she said before heading out to the deck, "Want to go for a walk anyone?"

The rest of the Marauders, Lilly, Mel and Tonks stood up, and came over to Kalina. She opened the gate to the stairs that led off the deck and started to go down when her dad called her name.

"Kal…the dogs are out…I think they're playing in the mud."

"Thanks Dad!" Kalina said before proceeding down the stairs.

The group kept close behind her and just before they turned the corner to head down the second flight of stairs when a rumbling and clattering could be heard.

"Here they come…" Kalina said in an amused voice.

Two wolf-like dogs rounded the bend and came running up to Kalina. They bowled her over, licking her face and then moving back farther in the group. Suddenly, a third, younger looking dog rounded the corner and joined the other two. Kalina managed to get a hand through the collar on the youngest one, and Sirius got the collars of the other two which calmed the three dogs down a great deal.

"Akiak…Zeak…Denali…come on pups." Kalina said as the group got to the bottom of the stairs.

Kalina grabbed three chains and hooked them to the collars of the dogs, handing two of the chains to Sirius and taking the young dog for herself. They walked around the grounds until they came to a massive space of land that was mud- pure, sticky, messy, gooey mud. Tonks' eyes widened with joy, and Remus just managed to grab her before she took off into the mud.

"What's this for?" Sirius asked, waggling his eyebrows at Kalina until she gave him and incredulous look and smacked him hard in the stomach.

"You'll know in just a minute…come here…I want to show you all my baby…" she said, turning and walking to the left.

Everyone turned and looked at Sirius with looks of curiosity on their faces. Sirius held his hands up in surrender, "I didn't do it!" he joked and quickly went after Kalina- the dogs tagging along after him.

The rest of the group followed and the arrived at about the same time as Kalina and Sirius at a large barn.

"Usually I keep it in the garage…but Daddy moved it out here because we had a barn."

She threw the doors open, and in front of them sat a massive truck that was lifted up and set on humongous mudhogs. "My baby." Kalina stated fondly, motioning to the truck.

"So…" Mel began, "Mud…the truck…SWEET!" she suddenly exclaimed

Kalina smiled a mischievous smile and the others began to catch on. The truck wasn't in perfect condition- far from it in fact. Many parts were dented in, and there were long scratches in the paint, the running boards were dented and the headlights were cracked, the front bumper was bent in and the whole truck was caked in mud. "It's gorgeous isn't it? Ready for a ride?" Kalina asked, gazing lovingly at the black, mud-caked vehicle.

Kalina took the chains from Sirius and led the dogs into the kennel that ran along the barn. Kalina climbed up on the tire, grabbed the open window and edged along the running boards until she got just behind the driver-side door and she swung it open, sliding into the driver seat and sliding the key off the clip that was hooked to her belt loop. Sirius handed Tonks up to Kalina, and she strapped Tonks into the seat next to her. James gave Lilly a boost up into the back, and Remus did the same for Mel. Peter tried to clamber up one of the tires but kept slipping; James and Remus had already hopped into the bed of the truck and strapped in to the seats in the back, so Kalina leaned down and grabbed his hand. Peter grabbed her wrist and Kalina pulled him up so he could edge along the running boards and strap-in in the back.

Kalina turned the key over, started the truck and put it into drive. She slowly pulled out of the barn, "Everyone strapped in?" Kalina asked over the noise of the engine.

When everyone had either nodded or yelled their assent, Kalina turned to Sirius, "Keep an eye on Tonks…this'll get extremely bumpy."

Kalina flipped on the radio and "Summer of '69" came on over the speakers; she hit the gas and the truck They ran over rocks and stumps straight towards the mud. Peter figured out where they were going and said, "Clips…the windows…the windows are down!"

Kalina turned for a split second and smiled, "Yup. Stuck that way too!"

She stepped harder on the gas and they plowed into the mud, spraying everyone in the truck. Kalina slowed up, and turned to look at James and Remus who were looking in the rear window, covered from head to toe in mud. She grinned and sped up again throwing the truck into turns and singing along to the song on the radio. Mud was spraying everywhere, but Kalina looked unhappy with what was going on. "Pad…open the door…I don't think it's throwing enough mud." Kalina said, sounding genuinely concerned about the amount of mud that was flying through the air.

Kalina opened her door just as Sirius did and they both stuck their heads out, looking down. When they came back up, Lilly, Mel, Peter and Tonks starting laughing madly- their faces were coated in mud.

"Throwing enough Kal?" Sirius asked, wiping mud off of his face.

"Yeah…for now." Kalina said in the most serious tone she could muster as she wiped the mud from her face and flung it at Sirius.

For a half-hour they drove around, flinging mud into the air, getting covered in mud. Tonks was giggling and squealing the whole time as she threw mud this way and that. Kalina flipped on the windshield wipers and kept the mud off as best she could. They only got stuck once, in the middle of the field of mud. The Marauders had hopped out of the truck and Kalina had trudged through the mud with the cable from the winch and hooked it to a post that was on the outskirts of the mud. Sirius had flipped the winch on and they guided the truck out, getting covered in even more mud if it was possible. As the sun set they drove slowly back to the barn and Kalina parked the truck. They all hopped out, laughing and joking, scraping as much mud as they could off before they got the dogs out of the dog run. Kalina let them out but didn't put them on their chains; instead she let them run out in front of the group.

When they got back to the house the adults were all chatting and drinking red wine. Leo sighed, and smiled good-naturedly as he stood up and went and grabbed the garden-hose that was by the house. Kelly went and grabbed a wash-tub to fill up with water and led the group over to the other side of the deck and Leo sprayed everyone down. Tonks refused to hold still, and Sirius ended up wrangling her into the wash-tub and managed to get covered in mud again. Sirius tried to rinse the mud off of Tonks, but was only succeeding in getting wet.

"Tonks! Hold still!" Sirius said, trying not to yell.

Tonks giggled, "Nope! You need to be wet, wet, wet Siri!"

Kalina walked over, "Want some help?"

"Please?" Sirius asked.

Kalina knelt down beside Sirius, but Tonks only saw this as one more target to get wet. Sirius turned his head for a split second and Tonks grabbed the hose and turned it on Kalina and Sirius, drenching them from head to toe. Eventually they managed to get all the mud off of Tonks and then set her free to bother Ted and Andromeda.

"Anyone want a sweater?" Kalina asked before she went inside.

A number of people threw their hands into the air, and Kalina grabbed Sirius and pulled him after her. They walked down the hall towards a black door and Kalina opened it.

"Here…help me grab some sweaters…and blankets…and pillows…" Kalina said, noticing things that she would inevitably be told to go get at some point in the evening.

"There's a lot of boxes in your room…" Sirius mused, looking at empty shelves with rings of dust from where knick-knacks had previously sat, and then looking at the boxes stacked in corners and at the end of her bed

"Um…yeah…well…" Kalina stumbled, looking under her bed for something.

"Well?" Sirius asked- a feeling of foreboding settling uncomfortably in his stomach.

"Um…can we talk about this later?" she asked, looking farther under her bed.

Sirius went over to the other side of the bed, and pulled on her feet- pulling her out from under the bed, "Kali." he said, looking in her dark blue eyes.

"Mum and Dad…they've been transferred…again."

Sirius pushed a strand of hair out of Kalina's eyes, "Which means?"

Kalina sighed and looked away from Sirius' gaze, "Which means that we'll be moving…about two weeks before we would head back to the school."

Sirius pulled her into his arms in a tight hug- he had no clue as to what to say to Kalina's sudden announcement, and so he just sat there with her.

Someone knocked on the door, and then let themselves in. Mel came over and smiled, "The parents are getting antsy…you should probably come out now."

Sirius and Kalina stood up, and the three split the sweaters, pillows and blankets among themselves and then they headed back out onto the deck.

The adults were making up plates of food and had setup another table for the teens and Tonks to sit at for dinner. They ate while chatting away about the summer, and Sirius' new house. Sirius didn't bring up the topic of Kalina moving again, he didn't want to think about it at that moment- there was too much going on.

They were munching on desserts when all of a sudden an owl flew over to the adults and it dropped a letter into the pudding. They all jumped up and gathered around the letter. Nymphadora and Ted came and grabbed Tonks.

"We'll send you some money tomorrow Sirius. Thanks for you help today!" and with that, they disapperated.

Kalina looked at her parents, took a deep breath and nodded.

Mr. Potter spoke up first, "Kids…we need you to stay here…we'll be back soon. Don't leave…and if anyone besides us comes here, get to the barn."

With that, the adults were gone. The group looked from one to another, and Kalina grinned, "Want to drag the hammocks around the television?"

"The what?" Peter asked.

"Mum and Dad decided to buy a muggle television…thought it was a good idea. We run it off magic..."

"Sure!" Lilly and Mel said at the same time.

James and Sirius went and moved the television out onto the deck and Kalina went in and grabbed a movie.

There were four hammocks on the deck and the boys dragged them over to the television as the girls took the food inside the house. They piled blankets and pillows onto the hammocks and Kalina put the movie into the television and pressed play. "What's the movie?" Lilly asked.

"Blazing Saddles." Kalina laughed and she made Sirius scoot over in the hammock.

She snuggled close under his arm, her foot out pushing the hammock back and forth softly. They sat together rocking in the hammock throughout the movie.

_"Now go doooo…that voo-dooooo…that you doooo…So. Well"_ Kalina heard the movie say as her eyelids began to droop.

_She heard the faint sounds of gunfire as the world went black. A putrid smell reached her nostrils and she felt a strong urge to lose her dinner. She reached for Sirius but he wasn't there. Kalina tried to sit up but couldn't; there was something chaining her down- a collar around her neck and shackles on her wrists and ankles. Her breathing became shallow and she felt cuts all over and suddenly realized she was laying in a pool of blood- her blood. Her heart rate sped up and suddenly, the world was lit with green light. A man walked through a door she hadn't seen before. "Lady" he hissed._

_He came and knelt beside her head and ran a pale, spider-like finger down her cheek and down her throat, pulling at a scab across her esophagus. The chains released her and he waved his fingers and she floated up into the air onto her feet. Suddenly he moved his hand in a swift motion and she was slammed up against the wall and the world went black again as a wicked laugh pierced her ears. The world was bright as she opened her eyes- she was dancing in a white dress, the bodice laced tight. The necklace that wrapped around her throat tensed each time her mind told her to run. Different men who seemed familiar approached her, kissing her hands and then pulling her close, taking turns spinning her across the dance floor. The man from the darkness came and took her from the arms of another. He kissed her hand and pulled her back to his front, kissing her neck lightly. He spun her around and pulled her close- his breath stank of evil and he didn't feel human. She closed her eyes and suddenly she was in the darkness again. _

_A different man stood above her, and then another, and another; each time the man came closer and closer to her- each time she felt more disgusted with herself. She tried to leave and pull into the stars, but as she did a pain like a knife slitting her rushed through her arm and suddenly she was lying in blood again. Then a man she felt as though she knew and two women were in the darkness with her- her body was broken and she didn't care anymore- she was as good as dead in her own mind, only her soul remained intact and that wasn't by will. The man was hooded and knelt down and traced the outline of her face. His voice seemed familiar as he spoke, but she couldn't place it, "He's dead. Your beloved 'soul mate' is gone…dead…and he didn't even know you were alive."_

_One of the women approached her; the face of the woman was also familiar, but sunken in, as though it rarely saw sunlight and that its owner had been through hell and back. "I killed him." she hissed into Kalina's ear, "He begged for mercy he did…such a sissy…couldn't take an ounce of pain…nearly lost it when he lost you…he thinks you're dead…or he thought at least- he would have killed himself he couldn't stand the pain. It's your fault you we…you know it is…"_

_The other woman was whispering into the ear of the man standing next to her. She and the other woman left a moment later, but the man stayed behind. "You don't believe them…but he is…" he said, joy evident in his voice._

_Kalina tried to scream but couldn't. He kicked her hard in the stomach and she heard ribs crack. She whimpered but knew that like before she couldn't do anything. He knelt over her and began to kiss her neck- she was shackled and when she tried to move they pulled tighter. He hit her again and again, and then he was blasted away into a wall. Another man she felt she should know came in, hooded and dressed in black. He came and slammed her into the wall with a swift motion of his hand, "You're going back to him…no…not that one…he died…didn't they show you?" _

_He pulled something out of his pocket and pressed something on it and it began to play in front of her eyes. He fell again and again, dying before her eyes, over and over, and she felt her soul being ripped to shreds. Tears sprang to her eyes and she began to cry._

"_He's dead…he never looked for you…he didn't care…and now…you will be put to use again." the man said in a deep and deadly voice that she recognized._

_He kicked her in the stomach and she screamed from the depths of her soul as her heart broke again and the pain ripped her body open._

Kalina sat up screaming, covered in sweat. A hand clasped over her mouth and she was pulled into strong arms. It was completely black out except for a few stars.

"Ugg…Pad…whatsamatter?" someone yawned.

"Nothing…'Clips just tried to fall out of the hammock…" the voice next to her replied, trying to hide the panic and worry.

Kalina's heartrate calmed and she stopped trying to fight the hold of the man beside her.

"Kali…what's the matter…what's the matter…" the calming voice asked.

Kalina swallowed and turned into his chest, burying her face and starting to cry. It had been so real, i_"Please god no…"_/i she thought to herself.

"Shhh…Kali…shhh…it's okay…I have you now…whatever you saw, I'll protect you…I'm here…don't worry…"

Kalina moved closer to him as he rolled onto his back so they were in the middle of the hammock instead of laying precariously on the edge. He pulled the blanket over the top of them and held her closely, keeping the slow rocking motion of the hammock going with a whisper of a spell.

His calm breathing lowered her heart-rate and she felt her tears stop as he kept whispering calming words to her. She turned her head up to the stars and felt him pull her just a little closer as she snuggled her head under his chin. Kalina felt safe in his arms.

"I'll always be here Kali baby…don't worry…I'll be here if you need me…and if you don't." he said, making her smile just as he had intended to.

Sirius began tracing light circles on her back while whispering to her. Soon her breathing was normal again, and then grew slower as she fell into a calm sleep.

Sirius lay awake for a while longer, worried about the woman who lay in his arms- that was twice today she had screamed; and something told him that her dream wasn't about Tonks running towards a cliff.


	22. Black Reflections

So...yes...I'm finally getting this updated to basically the current status. There's two chaps going up today...with a third that's been partially posted on a different site and once finished will be posted here. Sorry its taken so long everybody! I hope you like the chap...please review...but if you do (and this is to my dedicated bunch of flamers) please be constructive. I can only get better when I can stand to read the review...

Anywho...this chap sorta wrote itself...and its my dabbling with the brothers Black...it was fun and I think I might muddle with some one-shots on the Black family...I do find it fun to write some Narcissa/Bellatrix Hogwarts era stuff...so look for that at some point I guess...

Without further ado...on to the story!

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**Chapter 22**

Sirius dusted off his hands as he finished moving his box of items into his new house. Kalina stood back and held her breath- trying not to laugh, as Sirius stood admiring the box that sat in the middle of the great room.

"Well…I guess I can unpack later tonight" he said finally, dusting his hands off again, "Let's go."

Kalina and Sirius disapperated and appeared in front of Kalina's house. Her parents were sitting on the front porch waiting for them and got up to greet them. Leo hadn't ripped Sirius to shreds the morning after the barbeque as Sirius had expected, especially after Sirius explained the reason he had been holding onto Kalina so tightly. Kalina had been removed from the group for the next few days but had gradually become her smiling old self again. Sirius was glad, because there was drama within the group that he just was not ready to deal with; Lily was mad at James and Mel and Remus seemed withdrawn from one another which meant Mel wasn't around and Remus moped.

Sirius and Kalina settled down to dinner with her parents, but the tension at the table could have been cut with a knife. Leo dropped his steak knife and the four shot out of their chairs as though expecting an explosion of dark magic.

Kelly was the first to break the silence. "Kal, have you finished pa-"

"Mum…not now."

"Kalina Dasni, watch your tone. Now have you finished packing your room?"

Kalina tensed and Sirius braced himself for anything.

"Mum…can we please talk about this later? I was hoping to have a nice dinner with Sirius over."

"No Kal…we can't talk about this later…I already told you we're leaving Saturday- you need to be packed so we can send your things off tonight."

Kalina slammed her utensils down and walked away from the table, tears of anger falling down her face. Sirius pushed his chair back to go after her, but Leo caught his eye and shook his head as Kelly went after Kalina.

After a few moments the two men heard Kelly and Kalina yelling at each other, picking up only some of the words as one of the women kept putting up a silencing charm and the other, presumably Kelly, kept removing it.

"…you can't keep avoiding it Kalina! You can't let him…" they heard Kelly's voice come through before Kalina got the spell back up.

Sirius looked down towards where Leo sat eating his dinner. Leo looked up at Sirius' pained expression and took a deep breath.

"Sir…" Sirius began.

Leo set his fork down and motioned towards the back deck. They went outside and sat down on the deck chairs.

"It's funny…Kal knows so much about the starts and the vastness of the universe…but she refuses to acknowledge the fact that her own backyard is just as big."

Sirius forced a grin- under normal circumstances he would have laughed because it was so true, but he just wasn't able to let himself laugh at it.

"It's not fair to either of you to stay together…long distance relationships rarely ever work. The only two people I know that it has ever worked for are two of the people you met at the Duel Arena a few weeks ago; Lupus and Lex…lived in completely different countries…met at a duel competition and spent a week getting to know each other. 5 years they spent apart…owling each other daily…worrying themselves sick when they hadn't heard from the other, even if they knew the other person was busy with work or school. Lex was supremely popular at school too…no one understood why she always turned down the Quidditch players at school…her own Mum was against it at times. They made it though…don't get me wrong…it does happen; they're some of the happiest people I have ever met…but it doesn't happen often enough that I'd be willing to let my little girl risk her happiness for it."

Sirius nodded, his heart sinking in defeat until an idea popped into his mind. "Uh…Sir…"

"Hmm?" Leo asked as he gazed at the stars.

"What if there was another solution…one that didn't involve Kalina and I having to break up?"

"Then I'd say lay it out for me and we'll take a look at it."

"What if…well…Kali told you how I just bought a home right?"

Leo nodded.

"What if…what if she came and lived with me? I mean…we're 7th years right now…there's only 2 weeks until school starts again and there's a lot of bedrooms…and then after that…after school is out…she'd be on her own as it was…and…and…I love her…and…well…yeah…" he ended lamely, not knowing how to say what he wanted to.

Leo smiled sadly at Sirius. "I know what you're thinking. But I can't do that Sirius. Not because I want to be selfish and have my little girl living with her mother and myself and until the last second she can…but because…What are you going to do when you leave Hogwarts?"

Sirius was silent for a moment before he answered, "Probably become an auror."

"You realize that takes months of training and dedication…and if both of you become aurors…imagine the time away from one another you'd have. How would you support her? How could you provide for her? I know you both have money to your names…but you have to save that for a rainy day. Most importantly…do you really know what love is?"

The first questions Sirius had seen coming, but the last one threw him for a loop.

"Sirius…at your age…your world is so limited…you haven't met all the people you'll meet in your lifetime…so how can you compare the feelings you feel now to what might be the real deal down the road?"

Their voices had never changed from the sorrowful octave they had begun on, but Sirius felt as though he and Leo had been yelling back and forth at each other for hours.

"What if I can't let her go?" Sirius asked hoarsely, ripping his own heart to shreds.

"You have to Sirius…for her good…and yours."

Sirius looked at Leo; his face looked truly somber and Sirius could tell it was killing him to have to tell him to let his daughter go.

"Saturday?" Sirius asked- his voice barely able to make a sound.

"Saturday." Leo stated, sighing.

They went back inside and Kalina came back into the dining room and pulled herself into Sirius' arms. Leo walked past them as Kalina cried into Sirius' shoulder and walked over to Kelly. Sirius looked at Leo who tried to smile at him encouragingly as Sirius pulled Kalina tighter into his grip.

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Sirius got to the Daniels' house at 5 am on Saturday. Kalina was outside waiting for him and started to babble as he took her into a tight hug.

"We'll…we'll…we'll steal a broom…and run away…or no…we'll…we'll…we'll tell Dumbledore- he'll help…or…we'll…just keep it together…and meet at the end of 7th year…or…or…or…"

Sirius kissed her forehead softly and smiled his best roguish grin at her. He started to mutter a muggle song that Lily, Mel and Kalina had said reminded them of him, trying to make Kalina smile, "Oh yeah life goes on…Long after the thrill of livin' is gone…Say uh, oh yeah life goes on

Long after the thrill of livin is gone…They walk on…Jacky sits back, collects his thoughts for the moment …Scratches his head and does his best James Dean…"

He felt Kalina smirk into his shoulder and pulled her away, grabbing her hand and walking over to some rocks that sat in the front yard. He pulled her close and leaned back on the rocks, "Kali…we can't stay like this…"

"What? Yes we can…it's easy…we'll…we'll write everyday…and…and-"

"Shhh…Kali…it's not fair to you. I want you to have every opportunity to find the right guy…whether it's me, or whether I'll just be the guy on the motorcycle who rides in front of your house at ungodly hours of the morning, I want you to have the opportunity to decide. You know I love you…and I…I always will…we…we just can't do the long-distance thing…"

Kalina turned and buried her head into Sirius' chest, trying hard not to sob. "I love you too." she murmured before kissing him softly and walking away quickly as she was apt to brake down in sobs and lose control over her actions.

Sirius watched as Kalina walked over to her parents and they disappeared before he let out a howl of pain and anguish that sounded like a wolf's howl at the moon.

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Sirius sat in his house looking over his measly belongings that he had spread out. He didn't have any real dishes and so he had started to re-wash the paper ones. The world outside was just as sad as Sirius was. The lightning flashed and the thunder rolled, rain slamming into the windows.

"I haven't even heard from her!" he wailed out-loud to himself, "I can't stand this…I'm going after her…" he suddenly said, standing up and heading out the door.

He grabbed his jacket and walked off the porch into the mud puddle that had appeared at the bottom of his steps. He suddenly realized he had not put boots on as the water rushed through his thin cotton socks, drenching his feet. He was staring at his feet in the puddle when he felt someone walk up in front of him. His heart raced and slowly he looked up.

It was James.

James cocked his head at the disappointed look he received from his best friend, and then rolled his eyes. He grabbed Sirius by the collar of the shirt and dragged him back inside.

James took the beach chair Sirius had sitting in the middle of the great room, making Sirius sit on the blue tarp.

"What's the matter Pad?" James asked, deciding to play the part of the interested friend, even though he already knew the answer.

"I haven't heard from her in iweeks/i" Sirius wailed.

"She's been gone for around 2 hours Pad." James informed him sadly.

Sirius glared at him and went back to moping. James decided to change the topic, "I think it's over between Remus and Mel." he said, realizing afterwards that it wasn't the best change of direction in conversation, but deciding to run with it.

Sirius looked up, an eyebrow cocked as though asking why James was telling him this when he wanted to be self-centered and think about what he wanted for a bit and not worry about anyone else.

Remus came through the front door, Peter on his heels. "Let's do something." He said, grabbing Sirius and James and pulling them towards the door.

Suddenly an owl flew through the window, ramming into James' head.

"Ouch…bldy bird…" James muttered, rubbing his head with one hand and picking up the owl by the leg.

Four letters were strapped to the legs of the bird, and James removed them disdainfully, returning the owl to its upright position. When he sat the bird down, it gave him an evil look before settling on the table; as the Hogwarts owl that had delivered the letters to the Marauders for the past 6 years, it had grown use to the treatment and expected no less than 10 owl treats per letter after delivery to the boys. As James distributed the letters to his friends, Remus slowly counted out the owl treats for the bird.

Sirius ripped open the letter and as per tradition, read it aloud:

"Dear Mr. Sirius Black,

It is my pleasure to invite you to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for your seventh and final year of schooling. It has been our honor to have you attend these past 6 years and would enjoy the chance to spend one last year imparting on you an education that will last you for the entirety of your life, no matter what you do in life. Attached is a list of books and supplies that you will need for your final year. Please note that a 9-week Muggle/Life-skills class has been made mandatory by the Headmaster this year, along with a 9-week course involving training for your future career—please have an idea as to what you wish to do.

Also attached are a few pages of paperwork that you must look over and provide details for. Also, if you are living on your own, please fill out the paperwork to allow for your NEWT results to be sent to you at the end of the year.

Please keep in mind that there will be a ball and graduation ceremony at the end of the year, and you are required to attend.

Thank you and welcome to the last year at Hogwarts.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress"

The comfort of a tradition seemed to have brought Sirius out of his depressed mood for the time being, and James took the opportunity to rip open his letter. As he did so, Remus let out a loud moan of disappointment.

"Ahhh…Prefect…Prefect still! Who the bldy hell got Head Boy then? I'm just a bldy prefect am I!"

James turned his letter upside down, only for two cold, metal objects to fall into his hand. The top badge was his quidditch captain badge as expected. He slowly moved the captain's badge to gaze at his death sentence. As Remus ranted, James slowly caressed the badge, horrified and yet positively gleeful about the idea of being Head Boy.

"WHO GOT THE BADGE!" Remus rounded on the owl who seemed to only react with raising its eyebrow at him.

"Moony…" James began.

Sirius looked at James and started to chuckle.

"WHO?" Remus screeched at the bird.

"Moo-ooony…" James said quietly.

Sirius began to guffaw.

Remus picked the owl up and began to shake it, "WHO GOT THE BLDY BADGE? IT WAS MINE! MINE I TELL YOU!"

"Mooony-Moony-Moonykins" James whined.

Sirius was rolling.

Remus went to slam the owl against a wall but was stopped by a sudden yell of, "MUH-HOOOOONY!" that came from Sirius.

Remus dropped the abused bird and it immediately flew out the window.

"Prongsy wants you." Sirius stated simply, reverting to his position of giggling madly on the blue tarp.

"What do you want Prongs? Can't you see I'm in the middle of a rant?" Remus seethed, realizing how un-him it sounded.

"Ummm…Iknowwhogotthebadge…" James said very quickly.

Without missing a beat, Remus said, "Who." More of a statement than a question.

"Ummmm…me?" he said meekly, making his statement sound more like a question.

Remus' face went ashen, "YOU STOLED IT FROM US!" he shrieked, lunging at James' neck, "OUR PRECIOUS!"

Sirius tried to control his laughter, but couldn't, leaving Peter to try to pry Remus from James' neck.

Peter succeeded, but only gave James a 10-second head start to run into the kitchen, away from Remus. Remus jumped up and ran into the kitchen. A shrill scream echoed through the house, and James ran out of the kitchen, Remus chasing after him with a butcher knife.

Sirius lay on the ground, in pain from laughing hard enough that he wasn't breathing. Peter stood in the living room, grinning, but still managing to look concerned.

Remus and James ran back to the kitchen seconds later, just as Sirius went to breathe again. A high-pitched scream of "GOOD GOD MAN!" sounded from the kitchen, requiring Peter to help the giggling Sirius into the kitchen where a horrifying and yet hilarious sight met their eyes.

James was in a strange, frozen position up against the refrigerator. Just under a very precious area of James' body, there was a butcher knife stuck in the wood of the covering for the refrigerator. James was as pale as new-fallen snow whereas Remus was as red as a tomato.

"Moony…I think it's quite possible that you are smoking." Sirius giggled as smoke seemed to roll from Remus' ears.

When Sirius had turned back around, Peter had helped James out of his precarious situation. They all went out to the back deck where they sat down on a couple of beach chairs.

"Moony…a few centimeters higher…" James began.

"Yeah…" Remus said, "Good thing Lily can't stand you…woulda been hard to explain your inability for children…"

James went to lunge at Remus, but Sirius sat on him first, giggling still and hiccupping slightly. "No, no, no…no more…Padfoot…must…breathe…again…no…more…funny…stuff." He gasped.

"I can't believe…" James began, pushing Sirius off his lap and shaking his head slowly.

"Neither can I," Remus said, "You...Head Boy."

James looked at Remus in a baffled fashion, "No…I meant that it was the last year for us to get on the Hogwarts Express…the last year of school before the real world."

Remus took his turn to look baffled then, mostly because James wasn't thinking about how awkward it was for him to be Head Boy but also because what James was thinking about was mature, and quite possibly held promise for his future.

"Look at this!" Peter exclaimed, "This extra piece of parchment that they said was with the letter…look at the sort of things they plan on having us do this year!"

Sirius pulled out the paper first, and scanned what was written on the paper. It was a list of benefits that the seventh years would be able to take advantage of in their last year at school.

"List of activities for 7th year students:

-Unlimited weekends in Hogsmeade; 12am-1:30am curfew

-12am-1:30am curfew

-Optional classes to be taken in the evening

-Dueling

-Spell creating

-Animagus Classes

-Band

-Dance

(among others to be announced and added)

-A Dance

-Vote for class Enchanter/ress

-Classes specialized for your career of choice

-Field trips with Dumbledore

Others to be announced as they become available."

Sirius looked up from the paper to see Remus combat crawling towards James and the badge. James was thoroughly enthralled with the contents of his letter and didn't notice as Remus came steadily closer to him and his badge. Remus looked up over towards Sirius and a look crossed his face that told Sirius that Remus had suddenly realized what he was doing. He got up and brushed himself off…and then pounced on James.

Two freezing charms later, Sirius and Peter sat sipping a strange concoction of drinks, reviewing their supply lists as James and Remus defrosted on opposite sides of the deck, each frozen in a strange and slightly disturbing pose.

"So Pete," Sirius began, "What're your plans for this year?"

Peter seemed to be surprised at being invited into a conversation, let alone one with Sirius. "Um…well…I'm not sure."

"Well…and don't laugh…but what are you thinking of doing after Hogwarts?"

Peter went silent. For a few minutes the pudgy young man sat in utter silence, and mulled over what Sirius had asked him while at the same time noting that Sirius, for once, hadn't interrupted his thoughts immediately as he went silent. "I dunno Pad…maybe something at the Ministry."

"C'mon Pete…really…we all know you've got a different path from the rest of us. Remus is going to do something horribly brainy and smart and James and I will go off and do something that will satisfy our need to do dangerous things…but you're different from all of us…it's like you'll be on a whole different side of things when we grow up."

Peter looked sad, "I dunno Pad…I hope not. You're the only friends I have. What I'd really like to do is something that requires a lot of loyalty. Where you might have to sacrifice any part of yourself for the greater good…maybe I'll go into business on my own…"

Sirius smiled at Peter, "Sounds like you want to start a cult there Worm."

Peter chuckled, "No…I just…I dunno…the future is way too…bleh…for me right now. It's hazy…and all I really want is for 7th year, and for the Marauders, to never end."

Sirius smiled again, but this time, it was a sad smile, "Yeah Pete…I know what you mean. The good news is, is that we can all spend lots of time together once school is out…and we'll always be friends…I hope so at least…" he said, motioning to the Remus ice sculpture which was frozen in the midst of making rude hand gestures at the James ice sculpture, "I think you would do really well in…I'm not quite sure…jeez…I can't think of anything that would fit your perfectly…"

Peter's smile faded a bit, and his eyes drooped as his face seemed to age hundreds of years, "I haven't found where I fit yet…" he began, his voice low and almost pained, "There just doesn't feel like there is a job for me out there…it just feels like…I don't know…whatever I first choose to do, that won't last long…and even then…after that…gah…never mind."

Sirius sent a confused look at Peter, a worried look, "C'mon Pete."

"It just feels empty. I just have this feeling…that I'm not going to find something…until I'm just so desperate to find something that I'll jump at the first offer that comes my way."

"Don't worry Pete…we'll find you something. You just haven't discovered iyour/i job yet…you'll find it."

Peter smiled as the ice around James' hand melted away and his rude gestures at Remus once again became animated.

Sirius sighed, "I much preferred them that way." Referring to their popsicle state.

"What about you Sirius?"

"Hm?"

"Well…what's your plan for this year?" Peter asked, trying to hold on to the moment of pure friendship that he hadn't felt in years.

Sirius looked off towards the horizon at a sinking sun and sighed, a deep, painful sigh, "Survive." He said, walking off towards the cliff that had affectionately been dubbed "The Point".

Peter went to follow him, but at that moment, the ice melted away from James' mouth and Peter had to work on getting him out of the ice.

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About 10 days later, the boys gathered at Sirius' house for lunch and then a trip into Diagon Alley. Mrs. Potter had sent James with a basket of food, correctly assuming that Sirius would be down to packets of ketchup and hot sauce and perhaps a cracker if he was lucky. Unfortunately, Sirius was short the cracker.

They sat down on the blue tarp, Remus commenting on the idea that perhaps since Sirius had a nice house now, he might want to go and get some actual furniture for it.

"Hardy har har." Sirius said, rolling his eyes before tripping over the edge of the tarp.

Peter pulled out parchment and a quill, and they began to create a list of pranking supplies that they would need for that year.

After the list was finished and the food consumed, the group flooed to the Leaky Cauldron to begin their shopping trip. As Sirius came out of the fireplace, a young 6th year Gryffindor came up to Sirius. Sirius couldn't recall her name, but was extraordinarily glad of 2 main things. 1- Kalina wasn't there. 2- That she wasn't allowed to wear what she was wearing to school…or not wear for that matter.

The girl came and wrapped her arms up around Sirius neck. "I heard that toy of yours is gone. I thought that maybe I could step in for her…you know…keep your spirits up."

Sirius pulled away from the girl. She definitely was attractive, and there was the part of Sirius that was yelling, "GO FOR IT!" But the part was so small…so infinitesimal…that he couldn't hear it. Every other ounce of his being was simply stating, "She's no Kalina."

James came to Sirius' rescue, dragging him away from the girl who stood on her tiptoes telling Sirius that she couldn't wait to see him at school.

As soon as they got into the back alley, James was dying from laughter. "Hahaha…If 'Clips had been here…Oh Merlin…hahahahaha…"

James' laughter was cut short by the look on his friends' face and by a certain redhead walking through the back door of The Cauldron.

"Lily!" James exclaimed.

"Potter." She said icily, tapping the bricks and entering the alley.

James took off after her and the group piled through after him. They caught up to James before he could reach Lily and say anything stupid.

"This is it Prongs." Sirius said, "Your last chance to do this…let's try to not screw it up this year shall we?"

James nodded and the group set off. They went to the owl emporium and Sirius purchased an owl, seeing as his family one had left him when he had been disowned. As Sirius was picking out his owl, he turned to see Peter over by the rats that were playing hopscotch with their tails. They had stopped and seemed to be gathered around the glass, watching Pete intently. Remus was quietly shredding all the pamphlets around the store that were denouncing werewolves and James was gazing sadly at a set of stag antlers that were mounted on the wall above the register.

They went to the bookstore, picked up their required reading and then a few of the books that belonged to the extra-curricular courses, including the dueling. They each replenished their potion supplies and James found a beautiful hand-carved potions knife with lily flowers carved into the handle. The only downside was that the handle was made of stag antler. James was torn, but in the end, the meaning behind each of the two parts overwhelmed him and he purchased the knife. Peter purchased a new cauldron and set up his order form for a new one to be drop-owled to the school when he needed.

The group meandered into another store where Sirius found a beautiful scale model of the galaxy and purchased it without a second thought.

They last headed towards the small, dilapidated prank store at the end of Ms. Cheef Street. They all stopped and gazed in sorrow as they read the sign across the front: "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE—ALL ITEMS 99 OFF"

James went in first. It had been a tradition since first year. They had all visited the store before school began and this is where they first discovered their common bond. Although, being 11 year olds, they hadn't really remembered who the others were and so meeting on the train was just like their first meeting in the prank shop. James pulled out the invisibility cloak. The only other person who knew about James' cloak besides the Marauders and his father, was the young shopkeeper. His family had run the shop for years, and he had taken over 20 years before, the same year he left Hogwarts.

"Hey there!" James said, settling the cloak on the countertop.

The shopkeeper turned around and greeted James with a toothy grin. "What shall it be this year boys?" he asked joyfully.

"Well…general check-up…I need about 24 inches added though…someone decided to have a growth spurt over the summer and we're not all going to fit. Then of course…general supplies…and anything new you might have."

The shopkeeper nodded, "Okay…it'll be a little bit for the extra length and general check-up…come back in 3 hours."

Sirius was always surprised when James would willingly leave his cloak with a frankly creepy man who ran a ramshackle shop, but whenever he would question James, his friend would just grin and keep walking.

They left the shop, planning on returning to do their shopping in the store and pick up the cloak. James took the opportunity to take off like a madman towards the Quidditch shop, dragging Peter along, Remus went towards a bookstore, while Sirius went towards a store that looked like it had furniture in it.

He took a deep breath, bracing himself for a long and excruciating torment in the depths of the shop. He opened the door and stepped inside. In front of him were three set-ups; a living room, a kitchen/dining room, and a bedroom setup. They were exactly what he wanted. But it was too easy…and he knew it. He slowly meandered around the store, looking for a sales witch or wizard to take care of him, but to no avail. He found a couple other bedroom sets for the other rooms in the house, and then, he finally found a sales wizard. Sirius told the wizard what pieces of furniture he had wanted and then was dragged around the store to a few other things that he ended up buying, and it wasn't just the wizard's fault.

The furniture was to be delivered the next day and Sirius left in a cheerful mood. Then, he ran into Lily. Literally.

"Watch it Black!" she yelled.

"Sorry Evans." Sirius mumbled.

"What were you doing in there?" Lily asked, pointing towards the furniture store.

"Buying furniture…couch, table, chairs, bed…"

"Ah…I see…and do you have things like…sheets…plates…glasses…utensils…?"

"Nope."

"C'mon Black…we can't let you go without that stuff…especially because Kalina is my friend. Next thing you know you'll be washing your paper plates!"

"Yeah…" Sirius chuckled, "Who would be that stupid?"

Sirius was then dragged to a nearby store where Lily went around finding all the necessary things that Sirius would need in order to live on his own. Sirius sat in a chair by the front desk while Lily went about choosing things for his house. As she was rushing past, she knocked over some of the bags that she had been carrying around with her. Too busy to notice, Sirius instead picked up the items and was shoving them unceremoniously into the bags when he came upon a very interesting book.

"Please don't tell James." a quiet voice asked from behind him.

Sirius turned his head around to see a very red Lily standing behind him. He glanced back at the book and its title: Quidditch for Muggles. Sirius smiled to himself before turning back to the redhead who looked on the verge of tears and pleading.

"Of course I won't tell." Sirius said, slipping the book back into the bag with the rest of Lily's books.

Lily sent him a grateful hug, and then resumed rushing around the store, grabbing sheets and pillows and fork and knives.

The items were to be delivered to Sirius' house the next day and Lily promised to come over and help him set up, seeing as he wouldn't know where half of the stuff would go. Sirius grudgingly paid for what Lily had deemed absolutely necessary and then he and Lily parted ways.

He went back to the prank shop where he picked up the supplies for the pranks he planned to carry out and then went around the shop looking for other things that he "needed". By the time he was all done, James was paying for the alterations to the cloak and his pranking supplies. Remus and Peter were out in the front playing with water guns; a toy that Peter had found in a muggle toy shop that was run in Diagon Alley. James dropped a couple of bags and the contents spilled across the floor, stopping at Sirius' feet.

Sirius bent down to pick up the items and noticed a homework planner along with a book entitled So you've unexpectedly been made Head Boy. Sirius shook his head as James snatched up the planner and the book, thwacking Sirius upside the head with the book before shoving it back into the bag.

Sirius and James left the shop and Remus and Peter came over to them, and they began to talk about where to go for dinner. Sirius considered going by the Duel Arena, but ruled it out seeing as he wasn't sure how exclusive it really was. They eventually settled on grabbing some groceries and just making something at Sirius'.

Peter went into the store, and came back about 20 minutes later, arms laden with bags of food for the bunch. They flooed precariously back to Sirius' house, and Peter scuttled into the kitchen after discarding his items on the floor near the fireplace. James and Remus then decided to floo to their own homes to drop off their purchases before coming back for dinner.

Sirius plopped down on the tarp and waited for everyone to get back. As he waited, a delicious smell began to waft from the kitchen. He went to investigate, and found Peter preparing a dinner that would have made the house elves at Hogwarts proud. Remus and James came in behind Sirius, having just arrived from their homes, and gazed around in wonder at what their friend had created.

When Peter was all done, they all stood around the center island, as Sirius still had no chairs for house and it was too dark to be able to see their food for them to eat outside. Eventually Peter, James and Remus left, which left Sirius to do the dishes. As he was rinsing the paper plates, he found his mind wandering back to Kalina. His heart suddenly ached and he knew he had made the wrong decision in letting her go. They could have done it. If anyone could have, he knew they could have. He wondered what she had been doing for the past few days, what school she would be attending that year…who the first boy to ask her out would be. At that thought, he accidentally ripped one of the plates in two. He grabbed his wand and muttered lumos. He went out the back, towards The Point. Down the trail to the cavern. He tossed off his shirt and set his wand next to it. He ran to the highest cliff and flew off the end, diving headfirst towards the water.

The freezing water engulfed him, the temperature change was huge. The water was cold and the night air was still hot from the summer's sun. He emerged from the water and floated on his back, looking at the stars. He focused on the Northern Star, and began naming constellations that surrounded it. His heart was pounding from the rush of running off the cliff, and the sound of his heartbeat seemed to echo throughout the cavern. It matched the twinkling of the stars and the ripples in the water. He took a deep breath and went underwater. He came back up and looked skyward again. The water was relaxing him, letting him think about everything that was coming to an end.

This was his last summer as a student of Hogwarts. After they graduated this year, there would be no more summer vacations—life would really start. He had lost his family, or whatever he had ever really had of it. Even his younger brother had abandoned him in his younger years, they had been fairly close before school…before the sorting…but his new friends from Slytherin had pulled pressured Regulus into forgetting Sirius. And then, he had lost Kali. Kali had been his world, the love she gave him was something he had never felt before…a feeling he hadn't even known existed. So much had happened in his life since he had gotten his Hogwarts letter 7 years before.

_He had known it would come. The day he turned eleven, he had waited eagerly all day for the owl to show up at his door. Of course, with all the charms on the house, he'd have to wait for his father to get home and check to make sure the bird was loyal and not some kind of spy. Sirius rolled his eyes every time he thought of that. _

"_Siiiiirius!" he heard Regulus call from down the hall._

_Grumbling he had grudgingly gotten up off of his bed and gone down to his brother's bedroom. Regulus was standing on his head, his feet up on the wall for support._

"_Look Sirius! I can do it! I can finally do it!" Regulus had said excitedly before he fell sideways._

_Sirius had chuckled and helped his little brother up off the floor. As annoying as he was, Reg had been working on that for weeks and if all he wanted was a little praise from his brother, Sirius was willing to give it. He mussed his brother's hair, "Nice job Reggie…next all you have to do is learn how to walk while standing on your head."_

_Reg's eyes lit up, and Sirius smiled. He went down onto his hands and lifted his body above his head. He then walked around the room on his hands until the door swung open and almost hit him in the face. He fell backwards and quickly stood up and dusted himself off as their mother walked through the door._

_An imposing woman, she always had her favorites, and Regulus was one of them. She said that he resembled his father most of the two boys._

"_Sirius…what were you two doing?" She asked dangerously._

_Sirius blanched, she must have a headache again. She was never like that except for the days that her head felt like it was going to split open. "Sorry Mum…we were just messing around."_

"_What made that forsaken thudding noise then?" she asked, rubbing her temples._

_Regulus went to speak up, but Sirius stopped him, "I did Mum. I was showing Reggie how to stand on his head…I fell."_

"_Well then…" she thwaped Sirius upside the head, using the backside of her left hand, "We won't be doing that again now will we?"_

_Sirius muffled his whimper of pain as he replied, "No Mum."_

_She smiled a poisonous smile at her son before bending down in front of Regulus. "I know you weren't doing anything were we my little prince?"_

"_No Mum." He whimpered, his worried little eyes focused on his big brother's face._

"_Now my little prince…how about we go down and get a snack…I'm sure your brother has chores to do."_

"_I was going to do his chores today Mum…as a…birthday…present…" Regulus said, slowing at the end as his mother's eyes narrowed._

_She turned to Sirius, "I see how it is! Trying to push chores off on your little brother just because its your birthday and you're expecting that precious Hogwarts letter, " she grabbed his ear and pulled him close to her, "Just because you have the conniving mind of a boy of Slytherin does not mean that you can shirk your duties and push them off onto your brother." She hit him upside the head again before turning back to Regulus. "Now…Sirius has to go do his chores…"_

_As Regulus went to speak up, their mother's eyes began to widen in anger. Sirius sensed what would happen and shook his head fervently at his little brother._

"_As I was saying…Sirius has chores, so come my little prince…let's go downstairs and we can get Kreacher to get you some cookies." She grabbed Regulus' small hand and pulled him out the door._

_Sirius rubbed his head furiously as he went back to his bedroom. He glanced at his hand to make sure her ring hadn't cut his head as it often did when she was in one of her moods. All of a sudden, Sirius heard the door downstairs opening._

"_Oh darling…your lord has returned." He heard a voice say._

"_Daddy!" Sirius heard Regulus yelp, and then the thundering of small feet as the child went to jump into his father's arms._

_Sirius set off down the stairs, arriving in time to see Regulus turning around as their father dipped their mother low and kissed her deeply in the entryway of the house. Sirius closed his eyes until he heard his father say, "My, my…darling…it seems that now since he's 11, our oldest can't manage to come give his father a hug."_

_Sirius smirked and ran up to his father, who took him into a ferocious hug. _

"_You know son…when I came home, there was a beautiful owl sitting outside, just waiting for someone to let it in…it checked out all right…and so I believe it is now sitting on the kitchen table waiting for you."_

_Sirius grinned and ran into the kitchen, startling a large brown owl that held the letter that Sirius had been waiting for ever since he could remember. His mother handed him a few owl treats to feed to the bird, and Sirius exchanged them for the letter._

_Sirius was glad that his mother seemed to be in a better mood since his father had gotten home and it let him relax as he slowly slit the seal on the letter to Hogwarts. He drank in every word in the letter savoring each as though it were the most delicious candy in the world. His parents were smiling as they watched their oldest son read through his acceptance letter to Hogwarts._

"_I know he'll do us proud," his mother said._

"_Proud?" His father chuckled, "Why, the boy will do more than that. He'll continue to bring honor to the Black name! He'll be the best damn Slytherin anyone has ever seen! Ah…the noble house of Slytherin…"_

"_Ruthless"_

"_Powerful"_

"_Cunning"_

"_The only place for a Black!" His father finished._

"_Darling, did you hear," his mother began, "The Weasley family was just disowned from the family! It seems one of their sons was sorted into Gryffindor…"_

_Sirius' parents shuddered, "Can you imagine the embarrassment?" His father practically bellowed, "Good thing our boy wouldn't disappoint the entire family by becoming a blood traitor. He's Slytherin through and through I tell you!"_

_Sirius smirked uncertainly. Recently, he had been having dreams where he was sorted into a different house than Slytherin…one that not only would not be acceptable to his parents, but would surely get him disowned. Still…even those thoughts could not burst his bubble of happiness._

_He climbed into bed that night, happier than he had been in years. He couldn't even remember if they had had cake, or if they had eaten his favorite food. He would get to meet other kids soon…perhaps even see that Potter kid that he had met the previous summer._

_He woke in the night to hear screaming from his parent's room and pounding on his door. "Come in!" he said, sitting bolt upright._

_Regulus scampered into his room and dove into bed next to his brother. Sirius pulled his baby brother closer to him. "It's okay Reggie…if they don't stop soon…I'll go fix it."_

_Sirius hated these nights. Nights where the fighting wouldn't stop, and he would have to keep his parents from killing each other and scaring his brother. They were always painful nights that came after almost perfect days…days that he wished wouldn't come because it meant that they would be at it again that night._

_After a few minutes the fighting hadn't stopped. Sirius slid out of bed and pulled on a shirt. "Stay here Reg…no matter what. If Dad comes, hide under the bed…or in the closet spot…don't leave this room. No matter what okay?"_

_Regulus nodded and Sirius slid quietly out the door. As he walked up the stairs towards his parents' room, he saw papers and bottles of firewhiskey strewn along the floor. He pulled himself up to his full height as he walked into his parents' room where his father was screaming at his mother and slapping her. His father pushed her up against the wall and she dug her nails into his shoulders and bit him hard, tearing away a chunk of flesh._

"_STOP IT!" Sirius screamed._

_His father turned at him, blood-shot eyes focusing on him and the thirst for pain filling them again. He dropped his wife and came after Sirius, who, as always, stood there to take it like a man. The one thing his father had always said when he would run away. "If you're going to act like a man, be prepared to take it like one!"_

_His mother slid to the floor, blood steaming from cuts on her body and bruises forming on her face. His father slugged him in the face and as Sirius fought not to take a step backwards; his father grabbed him by the front of the shirt and threw him backwards. Sirius stood up again, feeling his kneecap pop back into place after landing on it wrong. _

"_HIT ME!" his father screamed at him._

_Sirius never would hit him though. Every time his father told him to he would refrain from succumbing to the temptation for revenge. He knew that either way, he would be hit harder with the next punch, so he never did. _

_His father advanced again and pushed Sirius up against the wall and punched him until he heard his son's nose break and felt the warm blood ooze over his hands. He dropped the boy to the floor and stalked out of the room and eventually into the study where he locked himself in._

_Sirius got up dizzily. His threshold for pain grew with each time that his father and mother went into their rages. Sometimes it was his mother who beat him and sometimes his father. But right now, all Sirius cared about was checking on his mother._

_Her eyes were closed as Sirius knelt by her side. She opened her eyes and gazed blearily at her son. "Oh Sirius…look…look at your shirt…"_

_Sirius looked to see his favorite t-shirt covered in blood and his pajama bottoms ripped and covered as well._

_His mother placed her hand lovingly on his cheek, "You know we don't mean it…we have our moods…you're such a good son…protecting that little angel from us…protecting us from one another…such a good son…you make me proud…and sometimes…I love you…you are such a good boy…such…such a great son."_

_Sirius blinked furiously wiping at his face to try to remove some of the blood._

_His mother looked down at her ruined nightgown and ripped some material off of it. She dabbed at his face, "Oh my big boy…my precious first-born…you'll do us proud won't you? You will…I know you will…such a good boy…" she tapped his face with her wand and Sirius felt his nose heal, "I'm sorry we've ruined your birthday…we'll do better next year…we always do a little bit better…we try at least…we try…such a good boy…"_

_She closed her eyes and her head lolled to one side. Sirius grabbed his mother's wand and whispered a charm he had had to look up the first time he had stepped in to stop his parents' fighting. The room righted itself, and the mess in the hall disappeared. He levitated his mother into his parents' bed and whispered the incantation to clean her up and fix her nightgown. He covered her up and did something he never would have dared to do if she was awake—he hugged her._

"_Oh Regulus…such a good boy…" she mumbled._

_Sirius' brow furrowed and he had to blink furiously again. He went down to his bathroom and tried to wash the blood off of his clothes and he washed off his face. He never dared to use the incantations on himself…only her. He touched the bruises on his face and whimpered. Both eyes were blackened, and he had a large bruise across his nose. His lip was split and he had bruises on his arms and torso. He walked back to his room and found Regulus asleep in his bed. He grabbed new clothes and changed quickly before carefully carrying his baby brother back to his room. _

"_Night Reggie," he muttered, before going back to his room and sliding beneath the cool sheets. The letter to Hogwarts sat on his bedside table and he smiled as much as his split lip would allow, it would be okay. Everything was going to get better._

_Sirius sighed as he stopped remembering. The next morning had only been painful as his mother sent him looks of remorse and his little brother had asked what had happened._

Sirius swam to the side of the lake and pulled himself out, trudging up the stairs and grabbing his shirt and wand. As he neared the house, he transformed and sat out on the point, howling sadly at the moon. He thought he heard a howl that was not his, and turned around to see a beautiful blue-eyed dog staring at him. Sirius blinked to make sure it was real…and she was gone. His heart broke again. He gazed off toward where he knew the canyon lay, and resolutely padded back towards the house where he transformed back into a human and fell asleep on the hammock on the back deck.


	23. Someday

If I can begin with: I'm not happy with how Kali was in this chap...its okay...but I can't get it right yet. It is going up though...because DLG is going to get a make-over when its done and as Resurrection goes up. Forgive her this once...I shall smash it with a mallet next time.

Anyway...I hope you like the chap anyway...it's my first time playing with the Sorting Hat...I've been reading all sorts of fics with it in there and was feeling mildly left out and felt DLG could use a healthy dose of blatantly obvious foreshadowing...:-D

So...yup...read...review...consume pudding...you'll like the happy, upbeat-ness of the next chap...so strap yourselves in.

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**Chapter 23**

Someone was tapping Sirius incessantly on the forehead. He opened his eyes and saw bright red hair.

Rubbing his eyes, Sirius sat up and saw Lily standing impatiently waiting for him.

"Black…they've moved all your furniture in the house…lucky I got here early…they wouldn't have known where to put everything…and then I find you out here asleep…and…Black? Hello? Anyone there?" Lily grumbled.

Sirius had been gazing off into the distance thinking about why in the world he was sleeping on his deck. His face fell as his last thoughts came back into his head, and he stood up.

"C'mon Black…let's go inside and I'll find you something to eat…then we can start painting."

Lily went into the kitchen and found a box of cereal, a paper bowl and a plastic spoon. She found a small container of milk in the fridge and slid it across the countertop to Sirius who poured himself something to eat. He zoned out as Lily went off on a rant about what colors to paint the house. As he quietly munched on his Fruity Pebbles, Sirius wondered why in the world he would have seen Kalina's animagus form last night. Sighing, he finished his cereal and then tuned back into what Lily was saying, which was something to do with painting his room pink.

They argued for hours over the color of everything. Even when all of the stuff that Lily had picked out arrived, they were still arguing over the color. They finally came to the agreement that it should be a "Red Rock" red and a sand color. His room would be grey and white, and the rest of the rooms would have other color schemes. The basement was to be the same sand color from the upstairs.

Lily went around the house, charming the walls for the color selected for them. As she did, Sirius followed her around, looking at all the furniture he had bought, mixed with what Lily had bought. The taste was not Lily's at all. Nor was it i_quite/i_ his.

"Lily…where in the world did you get the idea that I would like any of this stuff?" Sirius suddenly blurted out, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Well…don't think this is my taste whatever you do. Kalina asked me to help you, and she basically told me what should go in the house. She was very right you know…the mix of your attitudes is very evident in this house…your furniture…her colors…"

Lily then went off on a rant about how very mature it was, and how a certain friend of his and Kalina's should be just a bit more like that and perhaps he might get an answer more to his taste when asking her out.

Suddenly Lily blurted out something that Sirius was baffled to hear, "Why must he be like he is Sirius?"

"Uh…what?" Sirius asked, dumbfounded.

"Why is James…so…so…UGH!"

"Well…"

"I mean…he's perfect…except…he's just…he infuriates me! It's like he does it on purpose! He acts all high and mighty around me…showing off…why doesn't he get it? Why doesn't he understand that I…" Lily stopped short, as though suddenly realizing what she was saying and to whom.

"You love the way he is when he's not around you." Sirius finished, looking Lily dead in the eyes.

Lily grinned weakly, "Yeah…but Sirius…You can't tell him! Please…Please don't! If you do…he'll only try harder…and mess up more…and well…"

"I won't…you have to sort out how you're feeling about him before I'd get his hopes up."

Lily hugged Sirius tightly. "You know…I think this year we might just be able to get along…"

Sirius laughed, teasing her, "Admit it…I'm growing on you."

Lily smiled and hit him teasingly, "No way…I'm just getting used to you. Besides…you and Kal were so similar that since I know I get on with her, it shouldn't be hard to get on with you now should it?"

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Finally, it was time for school to start again. As Sirius packed his trunk for his last trip to Hogwarts, he couldn't help but wonder how life there would be different than the year before, despite the obvious. His life had changed so much with Kal there, and now she wasn't. Would he go back to being Casanova? The school's heartbreaker? He wasn't sure that he could.

Tossing the rest of his school books into his trunk, Sirius slid down the hallway in his socks, falling backwards onto the couch as he reached the living room. The rest of the Marauders were coming over and staying the night and they would head to the Platform together the next morning.

Sirius heard a screech and a yelp from outside and rolled his eyes. Remus had gotten there hours ago, and had been doing something on the front porch ever since then. Sirius opened the door to find James wrapped tightly in a hammock and being nailed into a crate as Remus, wearing a giant ape costume, stuffed newspaper and bits of lettuce into the box.

"HELP! HELP! GET ME OUT!" James shrieked, "IS ANYBODY THERE?"

"Is anybody where James?" Remus asked calmly.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE YOU ANIMALS!" James screeched.

"Out of where, James?" Sirius asked pleasantly.

James had managed to untangle himself once in the crate, and stuck one of his fingers out of one of the airholes in the crate. Sirius and Remus stared curiously at the finger as though waiting for it to point them in the direction of James. The boxed boy suddenly announced: "I'm boxed in!" he shouted.

"We all feel that way at times James." Remus said reasonably, removing the head of his ape costume.

"You guys will pay for this!" James yelped as Sirius went to grab the crowbar.

"Take it easy James…Lily said we'd be to the cliff in about an hour."

Sirius began to open the box, and as soon as the space was big enough, James' head popped out.

"I could have died in there you know!" he shouted shrilly.

"Not a chance." Sirius said.

"Uh-huh." James insisted.

"Could not." Remus said stubbornly.

"Could too." James replied.

"What's going on?" Peter asked, walking up to the porch.

"I'll tell you what's going on!" James shouted, "Moony and Padfoot crated me!"

Peter raised an eyebrow at James.

"It was naughty of them to do it Worm! I could have died!" James hyperventilated.

"Not a chance." Sirius replied smartly, "We made air holes…and Remus stuffed some shredded newspaper down there in case you had an accident…and lettuce in case you got hungry…" Sirius paused, "and a carrot." He added thoughtfully.

If looks could kill, James would have been prosecuted for a triple homicide, even though Peter hadn't done anything. He then started babbling in anger at what was going on.

Sighing, Sirius gave up and retrieved James' Head Boy badge from Remus' clutches. As soon as it was back in James' possession, his breathing evened up and he started to climb out of the crate.

Sirius managed to get them into the house without much further incident, save for James hitting Remus upside the back of the head with a large plastic gorilla paw. Sirius showed his friends to their rooms and then went to see if he had any food in the kitchen.

The rest of the night passed in relative harmony, unless you count the time where Remus bound and gagged James, tied him to a kitchen chair, and said in his best Russian accent: "Vhere is de badge? Dell us vhere it is. Talk! Oh no? Vell…ve have vays of making dhem talk…" And Peter, who was wrangled into assisting giggled manically as Remus continued on, saying, "Spatula! Picture…pan…Pam…stovetop…" and then proceeding to fry a picture of Lily as James' eyes widened in fear. Peter, taking his role too seriously, then said, "I. Am Natasha. N-e-s-u-l-m-a-z-q-p. Natasha." Thus ruining the mood of the situation.

They went to bed early, but Sirius snuck out. Of his own house.

Quietly shutting the back door, he transformed and went out to the cliff again, watching as the stars and the moonlight lit up the little chunk of the world he called home. He heard the howl he had heard a few nights before, and turned around. There were blue eyes in the bushes. He shook his head and blinked. They were gone again.

By morning, Sirius had managed to get the strange blue eyes out of his head. Mostly due to the fact that James woke up in a life-size toaster, with Remus just about to toast him. Unfortunately, this, and the events of the previous day, had left James with a slight twitch that caused his left eye to twitch nervously, and his right leg to shoot to the side everything third eye twitch as his head convulsed back and forth and he mumbled something about Apes and a Russian toaster.

They managed to get all of their things together, and Sirius locked up the house tightly before they went out front and called the Knight Bus.

The ride was fairly uneventful. Except for the wizard, Monsieur Marsh, who kept sharing his breakfast with everyone on the lower levels of the bus.

They hurried through King's Cross Station. They passed through the wall with no problem, only to see the Hogwart's Express wasn't there. Sirius had a heart attack and looked accusingly at the clock on the wall…which informed him that he was an hour early. All eyes turned to James, who had suddenly become very interested in his shoes and in whistling a catchy show tune number.

"And you thought us crating you was bad." Remus began.

"Talk about being Dead Boy." Sirius added, amused by his own pun.

Fortunately for James, the Express showed up at that moment, and the doors flew open, letting the boys load their baggage onto the train and to set their stuff in their compartment. James went to the front of the train, where he picked up the instruction sheets from Dumbledore on what he wanted the Heads to cover in their briefing of the prefects.

"According to step one…I mean…to what Dumbledore suggested…I should get here early, read these, and de-brief…" James paused to chuckle and rub his head as one of his friends smacked him violently with a slipper, "the Head Girl."

Remus rubbed his temples, "This is going to be a loooooooooooooong year." He moaned.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Finally, more people showed up, and it was time for James and Remus to go and meet the rest of the prefects and Lily for a briefing. Or a de-briefing if you lived in the sick and perverted mind of James Potter.

As Sirius sat down to review his collection of chocolate frog cards, one of Kalina's friends dropped by the compartment. She asked if he had heard from Kalina, which caused the happy-go-lucky attitude of Sirius' melt away completely. She left immediately following Sirius' string of choice words that he said in Bulgarian. Peter raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing as he went back to working on tying his shoes; which involved much sucking in of the stomach and bending to a dangerous degree on the part of Peter.

A number of girls stopped by, starting with chatting amiably with Sirius, and then "dropping" pieces of parchment with their names and houses on them. Sirius gathered a small pile of them together and lit a small fire over which he roasted a chocolate frog and some cauldron cakes for a type of chocolate sandwich.

Sirius couldn't stand it any longer, and decided to go off on a walk around the train. Not long after Peter had managed to tie his shoes, Sirius had sent him off to go spy on the first meeting of the Head Boy and Head Girl. Even though James had been babbling that morning about a "de-briefing" of his fellow Head, it hadn't really seemed like he was fully in it. Of course, around his friends, it didn't really matter; but something about his liking for Lily had changed. Sirius pegged it to a night early in the summer when the rest of the Marauders could not come over and he and James had been alone in the side-house of the Potter estate. They were drunk off their minds. Completely and totally. James had been, of course talking about Lily; and at first it was the expected things about her that James had been spewing about. But then it changed. James suddenly had looked Sirius dead in the eyes and said, "I know why she hates me." Sirius had sent a strange look at James before his friend continued. "She says she hates things that I do…and it's only because I do them for her. When we were okay with one another around Christmas last year…I learned more about her than I've ever known about her or learned in the 7 years that I've known her. I managed to screw that friendship up, and I don't know if I'm ever going to get that back…but…this year…I'm not going to try for anything more. I want her to realize that I'm not just some prat who stalks her. I want her to realize that…that…" and James had proceeded to pass out unceremoniously. Ever since that night, Sirius had witnessed small changes in his friend. Such as the day at Diagon Alley when Sirius found out James was actually going to do his job as Head Boy—not because it was something he had always wanted, or because Lily would be Head Girl; but because he wanted to prove to i_himself_/i that he could and that he was as responsible when everyone was looking as when they weren't. No. James Potter was not changing himself for Lily. James was just going to show her the person that he was around his friends…and for better or worse; he would show her it all.

As Sirius reflected on his friend, he ran into a person in the train aisle.

"Reggie?" Sirius exclaimed.

"It's Regulus, blood-traitor." Regulus replied coolly.

"Oh is it?" Sirius was irritated by his brother's attitude.

"Of course it is. And you'd do well to remember your place scum."

"And you'd do well to remember who the eldest is uReggie/u. I've saved your hide more than a few times—you'd do well to be a little more respectful."

Sirius saw fear flash through his brother's eyes, until Regulus recovered as a strong hand grabbed his shoulder.

"LeStrange." Sirius nodded.

"Half-wit." Rodolphus smirked.

Sirius gritted his teeth.

Rodolphus went to speak but suddenly a hand snuck from his side, up his chest, meeting another hand that slid down from the opposing shoulder. Rodolphus turned his head towards the dark beauty at his shoulder. A devilish grin lit his face as the woman licked his ear before kissing him deeply. He wound his arms around her and pulled her into his chest, swinging her around his bulky body and dipped her low—his hand slowly heading south and her black, sleek hair fell gracefully.

After a minute or two, Rodolphus righted the woman and she swung her hair back over her shoulder.

"Why Sirius," she drawled, licking her lips, "What would a traitorous wretch such as yourself be doing here? And alone no less! Why! Wherever is your barwench?"

"Bella." Sirius said curtly. "Kalina doesn't attend Hogwarts any longer. What are you doing with this little cupcake?" he asked, motioning to a Rodolphus who was now sporting a bubblegum pink hair-do.

Bellatrix gasped and returned her lover's 'do back to a dark black.

Regulus was the quickest to respond, "So where did uKa-lina/u go?"

Sirius set his jaw and said, "She moved."

"To where?" Regulus asked, digging for just the right thing to set his brother off.

When Sirius remained silent, Regulus smirked. "Don't we know brother? Why wouldn't she tell you? Unless…" he paused, "unless something happened there."

Bellatrix thought she knew where it was going to and said, "Oh…did she leave you because she found someone who wasn't a blood-traitor?"

Sirius tensed.

"No, no Bella." Rodolphus interrupted, "She must have found someone who was a real man…probably grew tired of dating a wuss."

"No!" Regulus interrupted, sounding strong and maniacal. He walked a few steps closer to Sirius. "Did you hit her?" he whispered in a taunting, almost hopeful way, "Just like Mum and Dad would get you!" He exclaimed.

Regulus' eyes suddenly lit up with horror at what he'd just said.

Sirius lunged. He was caught by two arms, grabbing him under the arm and over the shoulder. Sirius was tossed backwards into two people who latched onto him. James stood in between the two brothers, smiling a cocky-ass smile.

"Do we have a problem here Black, LeStrange, Black?" he asked, his voice dangerous but diplomatic.

Bellatrix spoke up, "Of course not you—" She paused as she glimpsed the badges on James' chest.

"No problem at all Potter. Family reunion." Regulus smirked, turning and heading into an empty carriage where Bellatrix and Rodolphus followed him.

"I PROTECTED YOU, YOU BLEEDING SOD!" Sirius bellowed after his brother.

James grabbed Sirius by his shoulders and pushed him back to their compartment. "Pad. Calm down…he's not worth it…he's changed from the boy he was once…you've said it before yourself! You couldn't rescue him Pad…there wasn't something you could do to fix it…he wasn't the same as you ever! He always came to iyou/i. iYOU/i were the one who was always there to protect him…from EVERYTHING! You couldn't make him be something he wasn't!" James exclaimed, seeing the look on Sirius face which could only be a look of guilt and disappointment.

Sirius gazed at the floor guiltily. Remus and Peter stood behind James, fierce looks in their eyes. It was times like this that Sirius was glad he had friends like them. They were there for you before you realized you needed them. But at the same time, as soon as they felt you should be done moping, you were done…or beaten with pillows.

Sirius nodded, "Thanks Prongs." He mumbled quietly. "So Prongs…how'd it go with Lily?"

"Well…she kind of…just…well…she didn't see me…and postponed the meeting until about…oh bugger!" James said, dashing out of the compartment.

Remus went after James, jogging up the aisle slowly.

James and Remus had been gone for about a half hour when Remus re-appeared, looking as though he was trying not to bust a gut laughing.

Sirius looked up at Remus and was about to ask him what was up when James came through the door. "James…" Sirius said questioningly.

James stood in the door, a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face, eyes wide, and it seemed as though he wasn't breathing. Remus had sat down and was still trying not to laugh. James continued to stand frozen in the door.

Peter was the first to respond, to which the group had to give him kudos, "What? What is it boy? There's a fire? No…no…Mountain lion?"

James babbled and motioned dramatically.

"Oh no! Timmy's fallen in the well! We have to save him!"

Peter, Remus and Sirius burst into laughter and James shook his finger at Peter, gaping at the boy. He finally found his words, "That's…yeah…"

This led to more hysterics. Lily suddenly pushed James farther into the compartment, and glared at him. "You all should be changed by now! We're almost to the school!" She shrieked. She looked frazzled beyond anything, and James walked over to her.

"Lily…what's the matter?"

"I…ug…uh…well…if you would change, and then help me patrol…I just…" Lily spluttered, before staring right at Sirius, "I just…need to talk to someone…"

Sirius knew she wanted to talk to Kalina and he sent her a sympathetic smile. Lily grinned back and left the compartment.

As the boys rushed around, trying to change quickly, Sirius ripped some of the buttons on his shirt.

"SOD ALL!" Sirius bellowed.

James took off out of the compartment to help Lily, and the rest of the group hurriedly shoved clothing into the trunks.

When the train arrived the boys piled off the train, and found Lily and James trying to help some first years. Lily was waiting patiently as they told her a tale of being lost and asking where to go. The small group gathered in front of James, babbling at him was surprised when he suddenly yelled, "OKAY SMALL PIPSQUEAKS! SHUT YOUR GOBS! GO THAT WAY TINY ONES…TOWARDS THE GIANT MAN!" James light up his wand and pointed towards Hagrid.

The first years scurried away, and Lily turned on James who immediately put his hands up in the air. The group eventually managed to get the Heads into a carriage and then out again as they arrived at the front of the school. Once they were sat down, it seemed as though they could breathe again. James and Lily were surprised to find themselves seated next to one another, but neither moved away. Sirius had to smile; neither realized what the other was planning to do.

Dumbledore welcomed the students and spoke for a few moments before he had Professor McGonagall go and bring the first years in. Professor Flitwick brought in the Sorting Hat and set it down in front of the school.

"_Our founders began with a single thought in mind._

_To educate, reciprocate, each in their own kind._

_Hufflepuff wanted balance. She took in all the lot._

_Rounded and even, she mixed them all in her cauldron hot._

_Ravenclaw sought the brightest and she pulled them from the group._

_The fair lady knew it all, and would jump through every hoop._

_Slytherin wanted the cunning, the sly and those with wit._

_He and dear old Gryffindor, separated by only a bit._

_Gryffindor wanted the bright, the brave, and above all the true._

_Loyal to the end, each one would die for you._

_In the end, the group did split, their weakness a shared thought too._

_Their inability to compromise, and work not for 'me' but 'you'._

_Now is the time of the greatest test._

_The hardest that is to come._

_The split exists, and it is yours to heal,_

_Can you do what our Founders could not have done?_

_For if you can't, this warning take, and store it safe away._

_You children will, pay for this, and be forced to fight each day._

_The school should be, as one you see, and it is for me to say,_

_That it is up to you to change what you may_

_Or say goodbye to what is good today._

_Unite as one, or fall as many, the choice is only yours._

_Take heed my children, for one day, this option will be gone._

_Evil rises and good grows thin,_

_Only those brave, cunning, smart, _

_And balanced enough, can ensure, _

_That the light shall win."_

The hall sat in silence, and for once, even Dumbledore did not know what to do. He stood still for a minute or so, before managing a smile at McGonagall, and motioning for her to continue with the sorting of the first years.

The banquet was a blur as everyone chatted amicably with one another. The Marauders talked mostly about the warning that the Sorting hat has professed to the school. Soon, the food was cleared from their plates, and as Dumbledore rose to speak, Lily said something that hit the Marauders right at home.

"You know…that was our last ever welcoming feast…" she said sadly.

After Dumbledore had dismissed the school, Sirius and the group hung back for a few minutes. Suddenly the girl from Diagon Alley came up to Sirius.

"Hi there Sirius." She said, pushing her hips right against him and wrapping her arms up around his neck.

"Ummm." Sirius said, trying to push her away without being a complete wanker.

As the girl ran her hands down his chest, she caught the areas where the buttons were missing on his shirt and pulled it open.

Sirius smirked a little and pushed her away, "Okay…you…" he said pointing at her, "Need. To. Stay. Away. From. Me. Got it?"

The girl smiled and nodded before walking away.

Sirius found James waiting for him a few feet away and as Sirius rebuttoned his shirt. James patted Sirius on the shoulder, "Good job there Pad." James smirked and Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. A couple of yelps were heard from by the doors to the hall and Sirius saw Lily approaching himself and James.

"Hey Lily!" Sirius said.

Lily smacked Sirius hard across the face and walked away.

"Bloody hell!" Sirius yelped, holding a hand to his face which was turning red.

Sirius and James took a couple of short-cuts up to the tower and went into their dormitory, talking about what in the world Lily had smacked Sirius for, and what time the job Sirius had signed up for at the Broomsticks started on Saturday.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Soaked straight through to the skin, she dumped her trunk with the other luggage to be distributed to the dorms. She had eaten before she had left her parents, promising to write and keep them a part of her life. Kalina had left her family to come back and be a part of something much more important; a life with the Marauders and Lily. And most importantly—with Sirius.

She waited outside the doors to the Great Hall as they opened to let everyone out. She wanted to surprise the boys and so she waited for them to come out.

Peter and Remus came out first and she hugged them both. "Where's James and Sirius?" she asked as Lily came out of the hall.

Remus pointed in the general direction of where the boys had been. Kalina looked and she found the boys all right. James was standing a little way off as Sirius was pushed smiling against the table behind him. The girl pressed her body to his and wrapped her arms around him. Kalina saw Sirius smile and mumble something. Then the girl ran her hands down his chest and somehow managed to rip his shirt. She saw him smirk again and say something as she walked away smiling.

Kalina's eyes welled up and Lily rushed into the hall as Kalina fled from the doors, running into people and stepping on them, causing people to yelp.

She fled through tapestries and through the common room into the dormitory. She wrenched the curtains closed and buried her head under her pillow as she gasped for breath.

How could she have been so stupid? She mind wailed at her, berating her for thinking that he'd still be there. She'd been gone so long…wait! She'd only been gone two weeks! Two bloody weeks and already he'd moved onto someone else.

She heard Lily come up and slam the door to the dorm room, swearing loudly before coming and sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing Kalina's back.

"If it makes you feel any better," Lily murmured, "I smacked him for you."

Kalina flipped over and smiled at Lily, "Thanks…"

"It'll be okay…tomorrow's a Friday and they've given 7th years the day off…we can sleep in." Lily said.

"Okay…" Kalina whispered, pulling her boots off her feet and getting up to change into her pajamas.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sirius and James were still ranting about Lily when Remus and Peter walked in.

"Where have you two been?" Sirius yelped.

"We were helping some first years. Uh…Sirius…" Remus began.

"WHY?" James exclaimed.

"Because you weren't there." Peter replied, falling over as he pulled his shirt off to change into his pajamas.

"Oh." James replied quietly.

"Um…Sirius…" Remus began again.

"Lily smacked me." Sirius stated, sticking his lip out in a pouty manner at Remus.

"Well…Sirius…" Remus tried.

"She hit me! We'd been doing so well…and then she hit me!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Well…possibly because…" Remus sighed.

"She hit him Remus!" James exclaimed.

Sirius plopped down on his bed and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately. Peter walked over to him.

"PADFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!" he yelled into Sirius' ear.

Sirius shot up like a cannon, rubbing his ear, trying to get the spit out of it. "What Worm?" he asked groggily, his head en route to his pillow.

"Who's your best friend?" Peter asked, smiling gleefully.

"James…" Sirius muttered as he went to bury his head.

Peter scowled, "No Pad…I'm your best friend…because I have something to tell you that you'll want to hear."

"And what could that be?" Sirius asked, waking up more out of irritation, ready to strangle Peter the instant he was done babbling.

"Guess who we just saw!"

"ENOUGH OF THE GUESSING GAMES WORMTAIL!" Remus suddenly bellowed, having given up on telling Sirius himself and hoping that Peter would have more luck.

"Fine, fine, fine…" Peter said.

"Who Pete?" James asked for Sirius.

"Eclipse!" Peter said.

Sirius sat straight up in bed, a look to kill on his face. "That's not funny Pete…I'm going to throttle you…" Sirius said menacingly, grabbing a sock that was sitting on his nightstand.

"That's low Pete…" James muttered.

Sirius advanced on Peter intently as Peter squeaked and pushed himself backward into a wall. "Pad! Pad! Don't…don't kill…don't kill me! I'm telling the absolute truth! Why would I lie?"

Sirius stopped for a moment, "Where'd she go?" he asked suddenly, his eyes lighting up with hope.

"Well…she ran off to the dormitory…" Peter began as Sirius leapt to find a pair of pants.

He was pulling his pants on as he ran towards the door, but stopped short when he was slammed in the back of the head with a very large pillow.

"WHAT?" Sirius yelped.

"Sirius…sit down." Remus commanded.

Sirius sat down on his bed.

"Now, let's connect the dots here Pad." Remus said, "Kalina is here. But she hasn't come to see you. Lily slapped you in the Great Hall. It looked very much like you and a certain girl were getting pretty close to each other in the Great Hall. Kalina ran to her dorm, crying. What does this add up to?"

Sirius thought for a moment and then his eyes widened in horror. "She…no…she didn't…did she…oh bugger!" Sirius yelled, standing up and slamming his fist into a wall.

The boys were silent. They had no idea about how to handle this one; she definitely wouldn't be talking to Sirius anytime soon, and even then, what would make her believe him? It's not as though she hadn't known about the reputation that Sirius had—she wasn't oblivious.

Remus spoke up, "Let's just get some sleep. We've got tomorrow off, and we can work on it in the morning. We can't get up there tonight…and some sleep might help her anger fade a bit."

Sirius nodded and flopped down in front of the window, gazing out at the sky.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He woke up the next morning in front of the window still. He threw on some clothes and ran down to the Great Hall. He had been sitting there for about an hour by the time Kalina and her friends came down for breakfast.

He stood up to talk to her, but one look at her face told him there was no way in hell it was going to happen. Her friend Dara stopped and shook her head at him, "Just leave her alone Sirius. You screwed it up! She was gone…what? 2 weeks?"

Sirius went to speak but Dara walked off towards Kalina, Mel, and Lily. The rest of the Marauders came and sat down by Sirius and he watched the girls talking quietly.

One of the Gryffindor 7th year boys walked over to Kalina and sat down next to her, straddling the bench. He watched her grin and cock her head, and then say something. The guy smiled and then walked back towards the Marauders. He was most unfortunately on the side of the table that Sirius was sitting on, and as the boy went to pass him, Sirius grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"What'd you ask her?" Sirius growled.

"What?" the boy squeaked.

"What. Did. You. Ask. Her?" Sirius enunciated.

"I asked her to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow." The kid replied.

James grabbed Sirius and shook his head and he saw his friend form a fist under the table. Sirius let the kid go and turned back to his breakfast; it was going to be a long weekend.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sirius pulled on the t-shirt and the jean shirt that Madame Rosmerta expected him to wear while working at the Broomsticks.

"Well don't you look just spiffy?" James laughed.

Sirius gave him a scathing look and pulled on his boots and grabbed his leather jacket. "I'll be off now…you all coming? Or are you all just going to sit here all day?" Sirius asked.

Remus and Peter looked up from the game of wizarding chess that Peter was losing to himself and shrugged.

"James has to go. He has to work with Lily today and make sure that the 7th years that are in the village aren't complete twits at the concert tonight at the Broomsticks." Remus stated, "And I'm going because I promised Mel I'd go."

"I thought you two were over." James said curiously.

"No." Remus stated, "Her owl got sick and we couldn't write for a while because Mum had taken my owl to write to Dad in Antarctica and it took 3 months for the poor bird to defrost because Mum hadn't given it anything warm to wear…and…well yes…"

James nodded, "Well that makes sense."

Sirius rolled his eyes and waited for his friends to grab their jackets before they left the dormitory. They went out the same way as the rest of the students, wanting to find Lily before James forgot what he was supposed to be doing. Lily was walking with Kalina, Mel, and Dara and the two girls' dates. The big guy from the previous morning was walking with his arm around Kalina, and Dara was walking with her boyfriend, Danny.

James walked up and tapped Lily on the shoulder, smiling cheekily. "Potter." She said in an amused fashion.

Mel turned around and ran right into Remus and he pulled her into the hug of her life. Sirius just gaped at Kalina walking with the giant git, more commonly known as Sullivan. He was on the Quidditch team with Danny and James. Sullivan played Keeper for the team, while Danny was a chaser with James. Danny drove them all insane.

Kalina was wearing her leather pants and jacket, and red top. Her hair was straight with a few curls in it. Sirius cricked his neck and took a few calming breaths. Sulli was one of those guys who was all muscle, all body, and not much else. She was trying to toy with Sirius' head. And it was working.

The large group got into the Broomsticks early and Sirius reported in with Rosmerta. He helped clear all the tables out of the way and helped the group from Hogwarts get their equipment set up. They were 6th years, and rumor had it that they had a great sound and might just go somewhere. He and Kirley set up the sign along the back of the stage.

"Wyrd Sisters 'eh?" Sirius asked, straightening the sign.

"Yeah," Kirley said, "Myron decided on the name. Although…if we go big…we've decided to spell it 'Weird Sisters'."

"I see." Said Sirius in an amused voice.

"SHUT UP!" Myron yelled, hearing how Kirley was ragging on him.

Gideon was setting up his bagpipes when Merton tripped over him, almost breaking his cello but managing to save it at the last moment.

Late that evening, the concert started. Sirius and Madame Rosmerta sat to the side, serving drinks as they were asked for, although it was rumored that there were a couple of kegs of firewhiskey in the center of the mosh pit. Sirius saw Kalina and Sullivan dancing in the center of the pit and had to resist the urge to go and beat the crap out of Sullivan.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kalina took another sip of the drink that Sullivan had brought to her. She rolled her eyes; if he tried to grab her one more time he was going to find those bagpipes in a not-so-comfortable place. She smiled as he came back, another drink in hand. The last of the people were filing out of the pub and Lily came over as Kalina started on the second drink her date had brought her. Just as Lily went to say something to Kalina, James called her over. Sullivan grabbed Kalina's hand and pulled her out of the pub into a dark corner.

"Whoa there Sulli…" Kalina said, pushing him away as the boy went to grab for something that surely wasn't his.

"C'mon Kal…relax a little bit why don't you…just relax…" he said, and his hands once again headed towards a place they shouldn't be.

Unfortunately for Sullivan, he never got to his goal as James Potter came and punched him square in the face.

"OH BLEEDING HELL!" Sullivan shrieked, covering his nose.

"BACK TO THE CASTLE YOU SOD!" James roared.

Sullivan took off and James turned to Kalina. Lily stood right there as Kalina started to get angry at James.

"I could've taken care of him myself!" she said, trying not to slur her words. Whatever Sullivan had been bringing her was not good, "That was my date!"

James grabbed her hard by the shoulders, and held her as she tried to move away. "Kalina…don't you dare! Don't you dare try and act high and mighty on me!" he growled. "The only reason you were out with Sullivan tonight is because you wanted to get Sirius' head. You don't even bloody know what happened do you?" Kalina went to move, "DO YOU?" he yelled. "He didn't do a damn thing Kalina. My best friend spent the entire summer missing you, and you think he'd move on that fast? Really? Do you not know him well enough?" James shook her a little to get her to look up, "HE. LOVES. YOU." James exclaimed, "And you can't even give him the decency of talking to him to find out what the hell happened! That girl was hitting on him, and he pushed her away! You're being stupid Kalina! Just give up the act and talk to him. Do us all a favor and don't make this into something more than it already is. Talk to him."

James let Kalina go and looked her in the eyes, as she stood shivering in the cold, "Where's your jacket?" he asked, "Does that wanker still have it?"

"No…" she mumbled, "I think I left it inside."

"Okay." James said, pushing her towards the door.

Kalina walked into a pub that didn't look as though a half-hour before there had been the concert of the year in it. All the regulars of the pub seemed to be in their seats, but to one side, there was a piano. Sirius was sitting there playing the piano quietly with a glass of firewhiskey on top of the piano. Kalina's heart felt like it would burst. She realized it didn't matter what he had done, or what he hadn't done. It didn't matter what he would do, she loved him. She needed him. Nothing mattered in the entire world, but him and her. She hated herself for acting like she had. He was her world, and nothing could or would ever change that.

"Oh it's nine o'clock on a Saturday…the regular crowd shuffles in…there's an old man sitting next to me…making love to his tonic and gin…" Sirius sang, "He says son can you play me a memory…I'm not really sure how it goes, but it's sad and it's sweet, and I knew it complete, when I wore a younger man's clothes."

As he sang the break in between the verse and the chorus, Kalina noticed her jacket sitting on the seat next to him. She walked over and sat down. Sirius glanced over but kept singing. Kalina joined in.

"Sing us a song, you're the piano man…sing us a song tonight…well we're all in the mood for a melody…and you've got us feelin' alright."

Remus walked up and picked up the next verse, "Now John at the bar, is a friend of mine…he gets my drinks for free…and he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke, but there's someplace that he'd rather be…he says, Bill, I believe this is killing me…as the smile ran away from his face…well I'm sure that I could be a movie star, if I could get out of this place."

The three then sang the break as Dara and Danny walked up and sang along. They were all surprised when James' voice picked up the next verse.

"Now Paul is a real estate novelist…who never had time for a wife…and he's talkin' with Davy who's still in the navy, and probably will be for life."

They all sang out, "And the waitress is practicing politics, as the businessmen slowly get stoned…yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it's better than drinkin' alone…Sing us a song, you're the piano man…sing us a song tonight….well we're all in the mood for a melody…and you've got us feelin' alright."

Sirius took the last verse, "It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday, and the manager gives me a smile…'cause she knows that it's me, they've been comin' to see…to forget about life for a while…And the piano, it sounds like a carnival, and the microphone smells like a beer…and they sit at the bar and put bread my jar and say, man, what you doin' here?

They all sang at the break and sang one last round of the chorus, "Sing us a song, you're the piano man…sing us a song tonight…well we're all in the mood for a melody…and you've got us feelin' alright."

The pub broke into cheers at the end of the song. James, Lily, Dara, Danny, Mel, Remus, and Peter walked over towards Rosmerta and ordered a couple of drinks. Kalina glanced shyly at Sirius.

He pulled her into his arms and just held her there as he sat at the piano.

"Sirius honey, your shift's over." Madame Rosmerta came over and patted him on the shoulder.

Sirius nodded and pulled Kalina up with him. She pulled her jacket on and grabbed his hand. The group headed out the door, laughing and chatting as they walked back to the castle. Sirius was pleased to see how much fun James and Lily seemed to be having with each other. As they all headed into the castle, Sirius pulled Kalina to the side.

"I'm sorry Sirius." She murmured.

"Kali…it doesn't matter…I wish you would have just said something to me about it…but it doesn't matter. I don't want to lose you again like I did this summer. I know you had to go because it was your only family…but I don't want that…I want to be your only family…where decisions are made on what is the best for us…not for anyone else." Sirius grabbed her hands in his, "I want you to be mine forever…someday I want it to be just us…I love you…"

Kalina buried her head into his chest, "I love you Sirius…"

They walked into the castle and Kalina stopped Sirius, "So…does this mean…" she smiled.

"Someday."

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I thought perhaps a teaser might tide some over until I get the next chap up. So here we go!

**Sirius was sitting in a chair roasting a marshmallow. Lily went to compliment him on its golden-brown perfectioness, when he stuck it into the flames and lit it on fire. He raised it out of the flames and instead of blowing it out, his wrist snapped back and flew forward. The marshmallow whizzed off, leaving a trail of light as it went. "Look! It's a meteor! Whoosh!" Sirius laughed. He then stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "I have an idea!" he exclaimed. **

**"Oh Merlin." Everyone groaned. **

**Sirius pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket. **

**"Ew…Sirius…no. Not that one." Kalina said, gazing at the deck of cards in his hands. **

**"I wasn't thinking of that game Kali." He said, "Although…now that you mention it…No…but I thought we could play…" **

**"Not that one either." She said. **

**"No…I wasn't thinking that…I was thinking—" **

**"No." **

**"WHY! I mean…really I wasn't thinking that, but if you keep making me think of those games, I shall propose one. No…I thought maybe some strip poker." **

**"Oh. Alright then." Kalina said, walking over to the table. **

**Sirius chuckled and proceeded to shuffle the cards. **

**"Oh…I dunno…" Lily giggled, "I don't know how to play strip poker." **

**"It's easy Lils," James chuckled, "When you lose a round…the person of choice has to strip the article of clothing of the winner's choice." **

**"I know how to play the stripping part." Lily scoffed, earning giggles and stares from the group, "I meant the poker part."**

So yup, read, review...you'll all be the first to see the entire next chap...so hang in there!


	24. Of Drinking and Strip Poker

Hey everyone! Hope you like this chap, it's got a different ending...which I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Um yeah...HP not mine...Kali is...storyline too.

* * *

**Chapter 24: Of Drinking and Strip Poker**

"Mooooooooon-ny!" Sirius drawled out, "I'm booooooored!" he said, flopping onto his bed.

"Why don't you do something then Padfoot?" Remus asked reasonably as he thumbed through a well-loved edition of a D.A.D.A. book.

"What can I do?"

"I dunno Padfoot…choose something."

"Shouldn't you have an example for me to choose from?"

"No."

Sirius sighed and he heard the door open and figured it was James, who spent much of his time in the dorm despite having a tower of his own as a traitorous Head. Of course, when James visited, he didn't usually jump on his bed and lay on his stomach.

Or kiss him for that matter.

Especially like that.

"You're not James." Sirius stated with a grin as he opened his eyes.

"I should hope not." Kalina laughed and kissed him.

"Well hello to you too." He said as Kalina poked him in the ribs.

She smiled and kissed him again, and the two suffered the whistles of Peter and Remus who were both settling down to write an essay for Slughorn on the possibility of creating different potions when ingredients weren't fresh. "Kali…I'm bored." Sirius whined.

"So?"

Sirius frowned at her a little, "I want to be un-bored Kali."

Kalina rolled her eyes but grinned, "Well…"

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James and Lily hurried out of the courtyard, "What's the letter say again James?"

" 'Come out to the lake at sunset.

-P

P.S. There is mischief to be managed.'" James read, noting to himself the use of their code for post-script, which instead stood for "Padfoot says." Or whatever Marauder it happened to be.

Lily bit her lip, "Well…I suppose we'll have to wait and find out then."

James nodded absentmindedly, worrying about whatever Sirius had cooked up that time. As soon as the lake came into view, James started looking around. On the far end of the lake in the shadow of the trees, there seemed to be a hut set up, and a table and set of chairs was out front, along with a large bonfire.

Lily followed James' glance, "Oh no…Potter…this isn't something your lot cooked up is it?"

James winced a bit, "Yeah…probably…"

Lily heaved a heavy sigh, they had been dealing with Marauder pranks all week…each had been getting messier and messier despite the lack of James' involvement. "I wish you'd reign them in Potter."

James stifled a laugh at the thought of trying, "I don't think I could if I wanted to."

Lily glared and set off towards the hut at a brisk walk that James noted made her hair bounce up and down in an amusing manner…although a wise voice, something that sounded a bit like his mother's voice, gently suggested he not say that out loud to anyone, especially her. James ran and caught up with her.

As they neared the hut, Kalina came out and waved at them. "Come on in!" she said, waiting for them to get closer. As they did, they observed that the hut was made of bamboo and a thatch roof, complete with a bar and barstools. Remus and Peter were frying marshmallows and Sirius was behind the bar, playing with shot glasses.

Lily spoke first, "What do you all think you are doing?!?!" she exclaimed.

Remus looked up, confused and looked around, "Why…Lily…it's a party…I should have thought that was obvious." He replied, an impish grin on his face.

James looked around, everything in him wanted to join in, but his mind glanced back to the steps for being a good Head boy that he had read in his book, "Step 4872: Do not join illegal parties that have Tiki huts, bonfires, and marshmallows." The book was good for being specific. He was grateful for the book, as it had kept him from a number of Head faux-pos that he would have made, such as, "Step 834: A Head boy should never wear a cap and his underwear on the outside." Or "Step 32: When addressing first years, they should never be referred to as 'Babies', 'Tidbits', 'Fresh meat', or 'Those who I wish to trounce/trod upon." He owed a lot to that book he mused, before Lily's sharp questioning of Kalina brought him back from his thoughts.

Kalina was answering Lily's questions with a small smirk as though sighting some hypocrisy in Lily's rant. Finally Lily turned to Sirius.

"What in the name of all that is magic lead you to this?" Lily exclaimed.

Sirius grinned, "I was bored."

"Oh Merlin." James groaned

"And Kali had an idea."

"Save us all…" he muttered.

Sirius scowled but continued anyway, "No…it was a good idea."

"Uh-huh." James said.

Lily and Kalina started "discussing" the current situation, and James saw no use in it. The two girls were stubborn as could be, and though good friends, definitely seemed to stand on opposite sides of the fence when it came to certain matters.

Sirius groaned, "Once they start…"

"They never stop." James finished, plopping down in front of the bar, "Get me a drink bartender." He laughed.

Sirius sent the shot glasses away and chuckled, "And what are we drinking tonight?"

James thought and then smiled, "Everything."

Meanwhile, Lily and Kalina had taken their fight off to the side.

"Lily! Why do you act like such a prude around them!?" Kalina exclaimed.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Yes! You do Lily! Why else would you act like this when you know damn well if it was just us girls you'd look the other way and come and join us!"

"Would…would not!" Lily tried to defend herself.

Kalina raised an eyebrow, "I'd call your bluff, but I don't think it's worth my time Lily. These boys aren't doing anything to anyone else right now, and they were kind enough to invite you along! Why can't you let your hair down around them?"

"You give them a centimeter and they'll take the kilometer, every time!" Lily said, quoting her mother and putting on an air of superiority.

Kalina shook her head, "Lily Evans. Knock it off…you're not better than them!"

Lily gasped, "KAL!"

"You aren't! You like to have a good time just like the rest of us! Granted, you have more control over how you act and when and where you party, but you do! Just like them!"

Lily started to mouth something that she must have equated to words.

"Look." Kalina said, pulling her last card, "Lily, we both know that your are quite a party person…we've had some massive parties in the dorm…stop being such a prude around the boys…especially since you know that you have a certain amount of chemistry with one. Now, we know you don't always approve of what the boys do, but you sure as hell laugh about it later…so take a breather tonight…show them the girl that we take out on weekends for our little binges."

Lily glared at Kalina, but relented with a smiled after a moment. "Fine." She said, "But if they don't like it, I get to blame you."

"Fine." Kalina said, chuckling, "Remember that one time—"

"KALI!" Lily laughed as they walked back to the bar.

"What can I serve you ladies this evening?" he asked, in his most pompous voice, accenting it with a bit of a bow, and wiping of the bar while James sat at the other end, eating popcorn.

"Hmmm…whatever you think I'll like Bla—Sirius." Lily said, a bit nervously at the use of his first name.

Sirius chuckled, "If you're sure…and you…m'lady?" he asked Kalina, waggling his eyebrows.

"Mmmm…how about some firewhiskey." Kali said.

"Going easy m'dear?"

"Nah…just starting slow, Handsome."

Sirius dished up the drinks and Lily took a sip. Her eyes went wide at the first taste and then she grinned, and downed the rest. "Fill it up bartender." She said saucily, tossing her glass back to Sirius.

He laughed and served up another drink. James observed the drink he had gotten earlier, and then said, "Pad…its empty…"

"Sorry…but you're old enough to ask for your own refills…Remus can't do it all these days." Sirius chided.

Remus looked up, "Oi bartending git!"

Sirius turned towards him, "You rang?"

Remus held up an empty glass, "Refill!"

Sirius laughed and went out to the bonfire and filled up both Remus' and Peter's glass. He raised a bottle of firewhiskey in the air, "I propose a toast!"

"To what?" Peter asked.

Sirius blinked a few times, "Ummm…I s'pose well there's a year anniversary of some sorts coming up…but as of yet…nothing."

Kalina reached up and stole the bottle and said, "Hear, hear." And everyone drank to nothing.

James rolled his eyes and raised his glass again, "Well…then what are we really supposed to be toasting to?"

Peter looked up and grinned, "How about…a celebration of our Heads living together for three weeks now and neither dying nor killing."

"Hear, hear!" Remus said, raising his glass and taking a sip.

James toasted towards Lily, a roguish grin on his face. Lily returned the toast with an eye roll and smile. Kalina smiled, she liked seeing those two get along. She had been talking with Sirius about the events of the last few weeks of summer, and was amused by the sudden change in her friends. Her gaze turned to Sirius, and she had to smile. "Oi, Black!" she yelled.

"Yes?" he answered without looking up.

"I need something to drink…" she said teasingly, holding the bottle she had stolen at it's nearly way too empty point.

"Rum?" he offered.

"Sounds fabulous." She said, "And give me some cherry stems."

Lily giggled and sat down on one of the bar stools, "I'll bet you 5 galleons that I can tie more than you."

"You're on. Bartender, make that two thingys of cherry stems." Kalina giggled.

Sirius plopped two heaping bowls of cherries down and the girls were off. Sirius sat back and laughed as Kalina tied 15 in a knot. "Oi James." Sirius smiled, with mischief in his eyes.

"Hm?" James asked, tossing a piece of popcorn up in the air and trying to catch it, but succeeding in only catching a fly.

"Do you know what it means if person can tie cherry stems with their tongue?" Sirius laughed.

James grinned, "Well…I personally believe the tale…but do the girls know it?"

Lily, working on a cherry stem, raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

James stole a cherry and popped it into his mouth and then proceeded to tie the stem, "It's supposed to mean you're a good kisser." He said, taking the knotted stem out of his mouth and grinning at Lily.

Lily looked at Kal, whose pile of stems was getting bigger each moment and then teased Sirius, "That true Black?" she asked.

Sirius chuckled, "Weeell…" he said, dodging Kalina's playful slap on the shoulder, "I dunno….I've forgotten."

Kalina rolled her eyes, and produced another knotted stem, "Well…Lily there has a good pile, and an experiment only works well if there's more in it." Kalina said, repressing the grin that was forcing itself to her face.

Lily glared at Kalina, embarrassed slightly and blushing. "Double or nothing I'm better." Lily said, after another sip of her drink.

"You're on." Kalina laughed, watching the boys' amazed faces as the two set up another bet that none of them would have expected Lily Evans to partake in.

"You first Kal." Lily said, downing her drink and trying to figure out why exactly she wasn't nervous about this.

"Well…hold on…who's kissing who. Because we know both boys here can tie the stems and you and I can…and so to truly test this…someone is going to have to kiss James…"

Lily flushed slightly, "Well…"

"Well…while you decide." Kalina hopped up off the barstool and walked behind the bar and kissed Sirius, both grinning as they suffered whistles and wolf howls from their friends. They were both slightly short of breath when Kalina finally stepped back and he chuckled lightly at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him and then turned to Lily. "You're go." She said.

James laid 10 galleons on the bar, "I'm out." He said, walking over to the bonfire.

They all gazed for a moment and then Remus broke the tension by exclaiming to Peter, "You didn't just do that did you?!"

Peter mumbled something and turned beet red.

"What happened?" Lily asked.

Peter mumbled something else and begged Remus not to tell, and Remus sighed, "Never mind…Oi Bartender!"

Sirius looked up, "Huh?"

"Grab some more marshmallows!"

"Aye, aye Captain." Sirius said, grabbing some rum bottles and a super bag of marshmallows.

Kalina raised her eyebrows at Lily and Lily shrugged in response, but they both grabbed their drinks and went towards the fire. They all sat down and started talking about nonsense things as they roasted marshmallows on long metal prongs.

Peter brought up the topic of teachers who he thought were dating, including Madame Pince and Filch.

"WHAT!?!" he exclaimed when they all groaned at the thought, "It'd explain why they're always patrolling the library at night…and why Pince gets angry when we're talking about Filch and Mrs. Norris."

Lily muttered, "I always wondered…shouldn't there be a Mr. Norris?"

They turned and looked at her, "What?"

"Well…she's a Mrs.—shouldn't there be a Mr. Norris out there somewhere? I mean…oh never mind."

James chuckled and then brought up a well-worn Marauder topic, "What about McGonagall and Dumbledore." James mused.

"What is that…" Kalina suddenly exclaimed, "A stuestion?"

"A what?" Peter giggled.

"A stuestion…a question and yet…at the same time…so much of a statement." Kalina said, grabbing a bottle of rum and leaning back in a hammock chair.

"What's a stuestion for?" Sirius asked, cocking his head like a confused puppy.

Kalina laughed, "Well…I dunno…but…it's a statement…like…you know it's a fact. But at the same time…it should be a question because you don't know. You know?"

James looked baffled, and then resumed his stuestioning of the group, "But really." He said, "What about McGonagall and Dumbledore."

"Huh?" Lily asked.

"James and Sirius." Remus began, "Have a conspiracy theory on the Head and the Deputy Head." He clarified.

"Which is?" she asked, refilling everyone's drink glasses.

Sirius threw out a crooked smile, "That the two of them have wild, hot monkey socks together."

"On Thursday." James added.

"After the staff meeting."

"And detention."

"And their bridge tournaments."

"WHAT?!?" Lily exclaimed, following her exclamation with a whispered rendition of what she thought she heard.

"No. Socks." James said, "They both have this strange fetish with socks…Dumbledore even told us that it what he wants most in his life…a good pair of socks. Although…now that you mention it…"

Sirius laughed, "Well…one socks leads to another…"

"Ewwwwwww!" Kalina giggled, "Now that's dirty."

Everyone chuckled and Sirius went around, topping off drinks. They soon found that Lily could not really hold her liquor, although, she held it much better than Peter.

Sirius was sitting in a chair roasting a marshmallow. Lily went to compliment him on its golden-brown perfectioness, when he stuck it into the flames and lit it on fire. He raised it out of the flames and instead of blowing it out, his wrist snapped back and flew forward. The marshmallow whizzed off, leaving a trail of light as it went. "Look! It's a meteor! Whoosh!" Sirius laughed. He then stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "I have an idea!" he exclaimed.

"Oh Merlin." Everyone groaned.

Sirius pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket.

"Ew…Sirius…no. Not that one." Kalina said, gazing at the deck of cards in his hands.

"I wasn't thinking of that game Kali." He said, "Although…now that you mention it…No…but I thought we could play…"

"Not that one either." She said.

"No…I wasn't thinking that…I was thinking—"

"No."

"WHY!?!?! I mean…really I wasn't thinking that, but if you keep making me think of those games, I shall propose one. No…I thought maybe some strip poker."

"Oh. Alright then." Kalina said, walking over to the table.

Sirius chuckled and proceeded to shuffle the cards.

"Oh…I dunno…" Lily giggled, "I don't know how to play strip poker."

"It's easy Lils," James chuckled, "When you lose a round…the person of choice has to strip the article of clothing of the winner's choice."

"I know how to play the stripping part." Lily scoffed, earning giggles and stares from the group, "I meant the poker part."

Kalina laughed, "Lily! Remember that rendition of strip blackjack?"

Lily laughed and turned red, "Well…that still doesn't help me with the poker part."

"Ah." James said, "Well…we'll teach you as we go."

"I dunno James." She said.

"C'mon Lily." He said, taking her drink and holding it out in front of her.

Lily got up and started to follow her drink, protesting loudly, "I…I was drinking that…that…thing." She said, following James to where he set her drink on the table.

Remus and Peter came and sat down gazing at the cards that Sirius dealt to them.

"The game is five card stud." Sirius said, in the best announcer voice he could summon in his drunken state.

They exchanged cards accordingly and Lily leaned over to James, "James…is this any good she muttered into his shoulder, showing him her cards.

"I fold." James said, putting his cards down.

They laid out their cards and Sirius turned up the victor. His eyes trained in on Kalina and she sighed.

"What do you want Black?" she asked.

"Shirt or pants," he muttered to himself, "Shirt…or pants…"

Kalina rolled her eyes and reached for her shirt.

"Pants." He settled.

Kalina quirked her eyebrows, "You play big Black."

"Play big…or go home." He countered cheekily.

Kalina grinned as she got cat-calls as she un-buttoned her pants and slid them off, pulling them off over her shoes. She swung her pants in one hand and then she tossed her pants to Sirius and sat back down, as though she did it every day.

Sirius re-dealt the cards. They traded cards, and this time, Lily lost—to James.

"Shoes." He said, shuffling the cards.

Lily tossed her shoes to James as he dealt cards. Lily surprisingly won the round.

"Shirt." She said.

"Who?" Kalina asked.

"James." Lily said, blushing and taking another drink.

James looked a little baffled and slowly stripped his shirt off.

"Wow." Lily said, giggling as she stared at James' muscular chest. Lily leaned over to Kalina and whispered something to her. Kalina burst out laughing.

"Oh my God. LILY!" Kalina exclaimed.

James smirked and blushed a little, handing Lily his shirt and the deck of cards. Lily dealt the cards to everyone. Kalina won, and Sirius lost the next three rounds. Sirius lost his shirt, socks and shoes. In that order. Sirius won the next two rounds, first asking Kalina for her socks, and then Peter for his. Peter proceeded to unceremoniously lose the next 10 rounds and was down to his boxers when Remus lost. He proceeded to lose for the next 6 rounds and sat in his school tie and boxers with his shoes but no socks. James continued to lose to Lily, and she was rather brash in what she wanted the more she drank. Lily then lost 4 rounds until Kalina won again and began stripping Sirius. Everyone was down to their bottom-most layers when Peter lost again—to Kalina.

"I dunno if I'm comfortable with this now…" Kalina chuckled,

"I'm not." Sirius declared.

"Me neither." Peter offered.

"Alright…let's see then…shall we build a card house?" Kalina asked, grabbing Sirius' clothes and slipping them on.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"Abusing my winnings." She said.

Sirius gaped, "Well…I can't wear your clothes!"

Kalina shrugged, "I don't know what you're going to do then Black." She teased.

As the rest of the group began to try and build a house of cards, Sirius advanced on Kalina. "Gimme my pants." He growled, trying to stop grinning but failing miserably.

Kalina walked backwards away from him, and then took off around the lake. Sirius went after her, but she was surprisingly fast.

Back at the hut, no one had really noticed the departure of the two, as each person was concentrated solely on the construction of what they considered to be the world's best card house. Lily had gotten cold as the night set in, and had put James' clothes on without thinking.

Soon Sirius and Kalina were returning, shouting at one another. Sirius shouting to her about wanting socks and she yelling back about how that would happen over her dead body. In the end, the two returned to camp and plopped down by the fire, consuming some more rum and building a tower out of the much steadier bottles.

Suddenly, they heard a dog barking, and the familiar voice of Hagrid calling after the dog. Everyone glanced worriedly at each other.

"RUN!" Sirius yelled, conjuring away the hut and everything else that went with it and fleeing with the rest of the group.

They all slid into the Entrance Hall, and quite a spectacle they would have made had anyone been present at that time. Remus and Peter were the only truly dressed out of the group. James and Sirius slid into the Hall in their boxers and their shoes in their hands. The girls came in wearing James' and Sirius' clothes, and carrying their own, slipping on the extra lengths of cloth from the larger clothing. Once they regained their momentum, they slipped and slid through secret passages until they came at last to the Fat Lady. She gaped for a moment and then opened without a word when someone uttered the password. Thankfully, it was late at night, and no one was in the Common Room. James and Lily opted to stay the night in Gryffindor Tower and exchanged clothes. Kalina went and stood on the girls' staircase. Sirius looked and said, "Please give me my clothes?" trying to pout, but failing miserably.

She grinned and shook her head, moving up a few more stairs.

Sirius went after her, and only remembered as he hit the first step that the staircase was male-proof. Kalina slid down the slide into Sirius and he fell on her. They were both laughing too hard to get up and in the end Remus had to help them untangle themselves.

Kalina finally relented and gave Sirius his socks and pants back, but she refused to give back the shirt, sticking out her tongue at him before he kissed her and Lily dragged her up the stairs. They each fell into bed, heavy as brick walls. The group fell sound asleep, not knowing what the next day would bring.

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"Morning Sunshine." Lily said, poking Kalina in the stomach.

"Guggagdkl." Kalina mumbled, rolling over, and toppling out onto the floor, "Ouch."

"C'mon sleepy head. Cold shower!" Lily said, picking her up by the arm and pushing her into the bathroom where an icy cold shower was to be her doom. Lily pushed her into the water and Kalina yelped at the cold of the water.

Lily grinned, "Feeling better?" she asked, tossing Kalina a towel.

"You could say that." Kalina replied, drying her hair and squeezing the water out of Sirius' shirt.

Meanwhile, in the dormitory next door, everyone was sound asleep, with no thoughts yet of waking up. As soon as Lily saw to it that Kalina was almost ready, she took it upon herself to wake the boys.

She walked into their room, and threw open the curtains, earning a unanimous groan of disapproval from the four men in their beds. "Oh come on!" she exclaimed, "Get up!"

Not one of them moved.

"Don't make me force you out of bed." Lily warned, trying to think of a way in which she could possibly force them out.

Kalina bounded into the room and surveyed the scene. "Only one way…" she grinned.

Sirius' hand went up in a feeble attempt at waving her away, "No…don't…please."

Kalina laughed, and cleared her throat, "Ready boys? Smile when you wake up, be happy and gay, and laugh all your troubles a-way way way! Don't frown or worry…it don't mean a thing…just get up in the morning and….SIIIIIIIIIIING!!" she belted out in her best off-key voice she could summon.

A groan sounded from the room and she tutted at them affectionately, "I'll sing again!"

With that threat in mind, the boys started moving. Sirius came over to Kalina, "If my tongue wasn't coated in carpet, I'd kiss you good morning…despite the song."

She laughed and kissed his cheek, "There…go shower Pad." She said, pushing him towards the bathroom—he was still wearing his pants from the night before.

Lily and Kalina finally managed to herd the boys to the showers and waited for them to be ready for breakfast. Once the entire group was ready, they went down to the Great Hall, where it was exceptionally loud that morning.

At least to four people.

The boys picked at their food while the girls laughed about the night before in hushed tones. Their first class was potions and the girls walked behind the boys, keeping them going on their trek to the dungeons. Sirius turned around and stopped. Kalina put her hands on his shoulders and tried pushing him to the dungeons, but he only put his head on her shoulder. "Shhh." He said, "Don't push so loudly. My head hurts." He whined.

Kalina stifled a laugh, "Lily…do you think that we can do anything to help them?"

Lily thought for a moment and gazed at the boys as James plopped onto the ground in front on her and lay on back on her knees, "Pleeeaase Lily." He moaned.

Lily let a grin escape her, "I think I can do something for this ragtag bunch."

They got the group going again, and went into the dungeons. Lily went and spoke to Slughorn for a few moments, gently prodding him towards whatever she wanted. Slughorn sighed and whined but Lily gently pushed all the right buttons and finally he smiled and chuckled, waving a finger at her as she departed for her desk. Lily came back grinning triumphantly and sat down next to Snape, who she had been paired up with for working with that month.

The rest of the class filed in and Slughorn bounced up to the front of the class, "Good morning Class! You all have been working so hard, and doing so well with the potions work, that today, we will each make a potion of our choice and I will grade you based on its complexity and the level of completeness. You have the entire class period, you may begin…now."

The class slowly went to work, excluding Lily, who had begun the work on her potion the instant Slughorn had started class. Kalina did her best to get the boys going. Remus was working diligently, but wincing at every sound anyone made. James and Sirius were paired up and both had their heads down, although Sirius was pushing things off the desk into the bubbling water. Kalina was working on some sort of potion, merely plopping in ingredients as opposed to actually paying attention to what she was doing, while at the same time tossing things at the hung-over boys.

Lily was working along feverishly, completely absorbed in her potion. Slughorn moved around the room, gazing into cauldrons and making suggestions. He actually seemed to recognize whatever James and Sirius were making and praised their increased effort. In fact, he was so pleased with the increased effort, that he attributed it to the increase in time spent around Lily and insisted on her coming over and viewing what the boys had created. Lily tried to refuse, but Slughorn insisted in way that only Slughorn could, and Lily made her way over to see the boys' progress. The class' attention turned to the potion that Lily and Slughorn were overseeing. Unbeknownst to any of the Marauders or Lily, Snape was paying more attention to the potion Lily had been brewing. He quickly added some of his own ingredients to the potion, adding a few extra touches of things to retain the correct coloring for what Lily had been brewing.

At the end of the class, Slughorn made a quick last check of everyone's potions. He was so pleased by the improvement in James and Sirius that he passed everyone and let class out early. Lily corked a large bottle of her potion and slid it into her bag before clearing the cauldron. The Marauders quickly followed Lily out of the classroom. She handed the flask to Kalina and whispered quickly, "I've got to get to my next class, just have the boys drink this and it should help their hangovers."

Kalina nodded, "Will do. We'll see you at lunch!"

The rest of the group headed towards the Transfiguration classroom. As they waited outside the class, Kalina pulled out the flask and handed it to the boys, "Drink up. It should help your heads." She said.

Sirius drank some first, made a face, but swallowed it. James followed, then Peter and Remus each took a drink from the flask. They emptied the container and Kalina slid it back into her bag as the classroom door opened.

"I don't feel good." Sirius muttered as they all plopped down in their seats.

"Hush Sirius." Kalina chided smiling pleasantly at McGonagall, "I'm sure it doesn't taste great…but if it helps."

"Yeah…" he muttered, "If it helps."

Class began. McGonagall launched into a discussion on the art of human transfiguration into other forms of human beings. Such as changing body type, physical features, and with the aid of some potions, even the age of a person.

Sirius suddenly belched loudly, turning red, "Sorry Professor." He muttered as McGonagall turned and glared at him.

"Mr. Black!" she exclaimed, and then she gasped in surprise and horror.

Kalina looked beside her and her eyes went wide, "Oh Merlin." She whispered. For there in the spot were Sirius Black had been sitting previously, was a toddler, about 2 years old. The toddler had a quill in his hand and poked himself with it. He started crying, and babbling in the way only a two year-old can.

McGonagall was frozen at the front of the room. Another belch sounded from the back of the room and suddenly, James Potter was no longer able to be seen above the desk.

"Oh good heavens!" McGonagall exclaimed, in quite the tizzy.

Kalina jumped up and looked over the seat, and there, sitting next to Remus was yet another 2 year-old. He was sliding down off the seat and Remus quickly grabbed him. Both toddler's clothes were far too big on them and so Remus merely kept James covered in the shirt the boy had been wearing. Kalina picked up Sirius, "Professor…can I—" she began.

"Get them out Miss Daniels!!! Out, out, out! To the hospital wing! There is something seriously wrong! But…they are quite adorable," said McGonagall, suddenly melting into a human form of mush, cooing and tutting at the boys in a grandmotherly way, "Wittle itty bitty boys! Yes you are! Yes you are you little schnookums." She swept Sirius from Kalina's arms and began cooing at him.

Kalina leaned back, her eyes wide in horror. Remus leaned forward, "What is it about babies that turns even the stiffest adult into an absolute idiot?" Kalina shrugged and moved toward McGonagall.

"Um Professor, just put the baby down…slowly…and no one will mention this."

McGonagall began swinging and dancing with Sirius across the room, still cooing in her best baby-wooing voice. "We don't want to be put down do we? Do we wittle itty bitty boy? No we don't! Nu-uh…we want to stay with Grammy Minnie!"

Remus stifled a laugh, wishing he had something to record this moment forever as he watched Kalina chase after "Grammy Minnie" and her abducted bundle of joy. Kalina grabbed McGonagall's wand and held it in her hands, "Professor!" she said threateningly.

"Grammy" turned around and gasped, "My wand!"

"Just put the baby down, and the wand leaves in one piece." Kalina said in what she deemed as a coercive tone.

McGonagall fought an inner battle, her forehead creasing as she tried to decide which was most important to her life. Finally, "Grammy" set Sirius down, handing him to a baffled student in the front row. Kalina set the wand down and went and took Sirius from the student in the front row. She walked to the back of the room and took James out of Remus' arms, "C'mon Moony." She said, and motioned for Peter to join her. They fled the classroom. As they ran towards the hospital wing, Peter got himself stuck in the trick stair. As Remus hurried back to help the boy, Peter let out a large belch.

"Oh blast it all!' Remus yelped, rushing forward to try and get Peter out quickly. But before he could remove the boy from his precarious spot, Peter turned into a toddler as well. Remus let forth a stream of swear words. Tiny Peter looked up and started to bawl as he heard the angry mutterings, and Remus immediately stopped. He picked Peter up and caught up with Kalina.

She eyed him warily, "You don't have to belch do you?"

Remus shook his head, "Not yet at least."

She scowled a bit and they kept on their rush to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey bustled out to meet them and took a look at the toddlers. As Remus set Peter down, he looked up, panicked. Kalina stared at him, "What's wrong!?!" she exclaimed.

He pointed to his mouth and his face that was growing redder by the moment.

"Oh no." Kalina sighed, exasperated.

Remus sat on the bed, trying to breathe through his nose, but he couldn't hold it in any longer. He belched loudly and Madame Pomfrey looked up, quite startled and then quickly horrified as Remus turned into a 2 year-old.

"Miss Daniels! Whatever have they taken!?!" The perplexed nurse roared.

Kalina had no clue and she said so. The only strange thing they had taken was the potion for their hangovers, not that she mentioned that. But Lily had brewed it, and she wouldn't have done this. Would she?

"Well Miss Daniels. There is nothing I can do for them. The effects should wear off within the next 24 hours. A remedy would take 3 days to brew, even if you did know what they had consumed. That is of course…an average based on energy use or amount taken."

"Wh-wh-what?!!?!" Kalina shouted, "They're all 2 year-olds for the next 24 hours!?! I CAN'T HANDLE THIS!"

Madame Pomfrey looked mildly insulted at the outburst, "Well, that is what I just said is it not, Miss Daniels? I have clothing in the back room…one moment."

Kalina sank down on the bed next to the four toddlers, "Ug…I feel sick." She moaned.

Sirius climbed up in her lap and looked up to her with big innocent eyes, "You're pretty." He said.

Kalina laughed, mildly hysterical in the present situation. Madame Pomfrey came back and saw to getting the toddlers dressed, as Kalina refused to have any part in it. ("That'd be extraordinarily awkward later on don't you think?" she reasoned.) Once the boys were dressed, Madame Pomfrey sent them on their way, "Go to lunch Miss Daniels. Go! I can't help any more than I have now get!" She said, locking the door as Kalina stood outside, a toddler on each hip and two clinging to her pant legs.

Remus and Sirius stood clinging to her pants, "Kalina." Little Sirius whined in a high-pitched voice that made Kalina appreciate the guys' deeper voices, "I'm hungwy."

She took a deep breath and counted to ten, then readjusted Peter and James on her hips, "Okay boys, to the Great Hall…you two just…just hold onto my pants and keep up with me." She said to the two at her sides. What a sight they made as they traveled slowly down the staircases. A number of teachers stopped and blatantly stared as the group trekked to the Great Hall. Luckily, lunch had only just begun when Kalina walked into the Hall. The little boys were gazing around at everyone and waving at people as they walked by. People were doing double takes all over the place, thinking they recognized the boys, but then immediately dismissing the thought as ludicrous. Kalina walked slowly to where Lily had been saving seats for the group. Lily turned to smile to Kalina and wave her over but ended up gasping at the sight.

James fought Kalina's hold and she set him down. He toddled as fast as he could over to Lily and reached his hands up, wanting her to pick him up off the ground. Lily looked mildly amused at the idea and picked him up. He wrapped his chubby little fingers around hers and smiled a big, toothy grin at her, jumping up and down on her lap.

Kalina got the other three toddlers settled in on the bench and then glared at Lily, "What did you give them?!?" she hissed.

Lily was taken aback as James was playing with her hair, sitting her lap. "What do you mean Kal?? I gave them a potion for their hangovers!" she whispered back.

"Then what the bloody hell happened!?!" Kalina asked.

"I don't know! Tell me what happened!"

Kalina quickly explained what had gone on in the class. Lily frowned, "Well…it definitely came from the potion then…but I didn't do that!" she exclaimed, handing James a roll to munch on.

Kalina sighed, "Well…what we going to do?" She failed to notice Remus' exploration of the pudding on the table, or Sirius' decoration of his hair with mashed potatoes.

Lily shrugged, "Let's just get the kids fed I s'pose." She suggested, reaching for some extra plates and putting food on them.

It was perhaps the messiest meal in Hogwarts' history. The boys weren't particularly trying to be messy—they just naturally were. Potatoes covered the floor, juice was spilled on the girls and there was pie on the boys' laps. Eventually, giving up and hoping that there was at least the same amount of food in the bellies of the boys as there was on the floor, Kalina and Lily set to cleaning up the young boys. Lunch was over and everyone began filing out of the hall. Lily picked up James and Kalina grabbed Sirius, Remus and Peter insisted on toddling next to them, refusing to be picked up.

They made their way to Charms, seeing nothing else they could do. Professor Flitwick yelped when he saw the boys. Lily went forward to explain and Kalina tried to corral the kiddies. She got them sat down and Lily sat on the opposite side. Professor Flitwick started class and was explaining how to do a new charm. The class was fairly restless, as they were curious about the four little boys sitting in-between Lily and Kalina. Flitwick ignored it and continued teaching.

Lily and Kalina were highly aware of the stares, but ignored them the best they could. When Flitwick taught them the newest incantation, and before the girls could stop him, Remus picked up a wand and began waving it around, trying to cast the spell. As it was a combination cheering/tickle charm, the effects were fairly disastrous for the class. The spell ricocheted off of a chandelier and hit every full –grown student in the classroom and managing to hit Flitwick as well. As the class dissolved into violent fits of laughter and tried escaping the invisible tickling force, the four little boys slid out of the desk. Running into the hall, James turned and looked at the rest, "Marwauders away!" he yelled, putting his hand in. The other three joined him and they threw their hands into the air before taking off in opposite directions.

The boys still had the same basic knowledge as before their transformation, except their personalities had also been altered so they had the mind-set of toddlers—with the knowledge of nearly full-grown wizards—the good news was that their maturity level was relatively the same as before.

James took off to all the broom closets. He began by first enchanting all the brooms to fly around the school of their own accord. He then ran off, knocking over suits of armor as he toddled towards the room where the Quidditch supplies were kept. He found the chests that contained the snitches and bludgers. With a grin and a chuckle, he opened all the chests and ran off as the balls came speeding out of the closet. The toddler eventually found himself in the hall that contained Dumbledore's office gargoyle. A wicked chuckle came from the tiny mischief maker as he conjoured a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Dumping them on the floor, he whispered a spell to make them replicate. For 10 minutes he allowed the spell to continue until the hall was a regular swimming pool of jelly beans. With a last giggle James ran off to cause more destruction.

Remus Lupin, meanwhile, had decided it was his solemn duty to trap everyone in their classrooms. After jamming the doors just enough to make an exit a bit difficult, he filled each doorway with different forms of sticky things; every known flavour (and some unknown) of jam was charmed to flow into the classroom after the door was pulled open. Adding pie fillings, jello, custard, and other sweet and gooey things, Remus finished his first task. Then, he went into the trophy room and began charming each of the trophies and plaques to re-spell everything on their nameplates every minute or so. Vile phrases to plain nonsense began filling the nameplates as Remus went charming away. Once his task was completed, another thought came to mind and the tot giggled as he took off in another direction.

Peter had run straight towards the kitchens. He requested hundreds of pastries of every kind and charmed them to follow him to the entry hall. With a glance at the ceiling, Peter smiled and sent the pastries to their spots and charmed them into place. He then ran and charmed the house points hourglasses to yell out strange and mischievous phrases whenever someone walked by. Many consisted of, "GRYFFINDOR ROCKS!" or "SLYTHERIN SMELLY!" Rounding another corner, Peter decided to go to the entry of the Slytherin common room. With a few deft flicks of a wand, their common room's entry was disguised and covered in cheese wiz. Peter grinned, and took off for his final touch.

Sirius Black had rushed straight into every bathroom, charmed the toilets and the sinks to overflow and had given each bathroom its own unique set of bubbles that were to flow out the doors and down the hall. Sirius went sliding down the hall and came to the first major set of stairs, he skid to a halt and a wicked thought came to mind. With a single wave of his wand, Sirius conjured up storm clouds and made them snow…all over the stairs. With another incantation, the snow began packing itself down and sleds appeared next to the stairs. The clouds moved down and around covering a path of staircases for one's sledding enjoyment. Sirius laughed and grabbed a sled, and took a test run down the staircases. As he hit the bottom landing, he hopped up a sudden concept popped into his head. With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he went off.

The boys all met at the same time in the Great Hall. They momentarily admired their work outside the Great Hall, but recognized that more was needed. "Well mates…let's get to work!" James exclaimed, and with that, an unspoken plan began to come together—the coup de grace or ultimate touch of mischief that would perform for the school that day.

Meanwhile, Professor Flitwick had gained enough composure to cancel the spell on everyone. The class sat exhausted from their giggling fits, and it wasn't until 15 minutes later that Lily and Kalina looked at each other and realized that the boys were missing. "Oh no." Lily exclaimed, her eyes wide. They jumped up and searched the room…but the boys were quite obviously nowhere to be seen. As soon as class was dismissed, the girls bolted towards the door, but another classmate got there first…only to have bluekleberry jam drain through the door. The girls pushed him aside and trudged out…into a flood of scented bubbles.

"The boys?" Lily asked unnecessarily.

"The boys." Kalina affirmed, wanting to laugh but being too sore from their 20 minute laugh expedition from before.

Just as they turned to go towards the source of the flooding, a herd of golden snitches zoomed above their heads, being chased by a pair of bludgers. Kalina raised an eyebrow, "James?" she grinned.

"Well…if that wasn't Potter…somebody's sure trying hard…" Lily smiled, "Let's go find them."

"I'll guess…wherever the mischief gets worse…we'll find them in the center of it."

"Yup…pretty much." Lily nodded, her hands on her hips, but her posture suggesting amusement rather than irritation.

The girls took off towards the stairs. Kalina slid to a halt as they reached the snow hills…sighing and shrugging, both girls grabbed sleds and set off down the stairs. Shrieks of amusement could be heard all through the halls. They skidded to a halt just inside the entrance hall and looked towards the Great Hall. Water was rushing out from underneath the door, and both girls exchanged dubious glances.

"One." Kalina started.

"Two." Lily said.

"THREE!" they shouted in unison as they wrenched open the doors. To their utter amazement, in front of them, the Great Hall, with the assistance of the 4 house tables, had become a giant backyard with slip and slides. Water poured from faucets in the floor and the ceiling had been enchanted to a bright sunny, summer day.

"Ooooh so tempting." Kalina bemoaned, staring at the slip n' slides.

As Lily and Kalina stood around staring at the boys' finest achievement, Dumbledore walked up behind them. "Am I to assume you have misplaced the four most troublesome and mischievous toddlers of our time?" he asked in a light-hearted tone, picking jelly beans out of his beard.

Kalina and Lily spun around and grinned, "Well…yes…but I think those beans are truly your color, Professor." Lily grinned.

Dumbledore laughed and popped a jelly bean into his mouth, "I would have to agree Miss Evans…I would have to agree…jelly bean?"

"Don't mind if I do. So…I assume you know about the boys turning into toddlers?" Lily said.

"Yes…and quite honestly, I think it's the most amusing thing I've ever seen or heard of." Dumbledore replied matter-of-factly.

Kalina was gazing around in awe when she saw the toddlers running towards them. As the boys reached the girls and Dumbledore, the rest of the student body came slipping and sliding down the staircases. As the majority gather in the entry hall, a gasp made them all look up—into the hundreds of pies that simultaneously dropped from the ceiling and coated the students.

Dumbledore snorted loudly, and as McGonagall, covered in pumpkin pie, stood tapping her foot in front of Dumbledore, he reached out, wiped a bit of pie off her face and tasted it. "Exquisite." He declared, "Jelly bean?" he offered innocently. When she didn't respond, Dumbledore quietly turned to the girls and the toddlers, "I'd run now if I were you…" he chuckled.

They needed no other suggestion and bolted out onto the grounds and the cool autumn air. They went and sat on the banks of the lake, watching the boys wrestle about. Lily sighed, "They really are sweet aren't they?"

Kalina smiled, "They are. In so many ways, they are just so innocent. Of course…innocent as mischief incarnate can be. Even as men, they're always little boys at heart—with the purest love you'll find."

They were silent for a moment as they watched the boys dog-pile on Sirius, and then start chasing each other.

Lily spoke up quietly, "I've noticed over the years…as much as I never wanted to date James because of how pig-headed and uncaring and egotistical he was…and don't get me wrong—I have hated James so much sometimes…but there were times I would look into his eyes as he would talk to me and I'd see this little boy, just full of passion and wonder and love…and I'd want someone like him to love me. I just didn't want him…for so many reasons. But this year…Merlin…this year Kal…whenever he's around me, I see that sweet little boy all the time. He's mature and everything…and he's still a mischievous little imp at times. It's not like it seems fake either—just a part of him that he's never taken the time to let me see. And everything I've found attractive about him before…plus seeing this side of him that has always been…and that he's working hard to show me…it's like…it's like…"

"Like you're falling for him." Kalina suggested softly, "Sirius and I had been talking one day about why in the world James acts like he does around you. Sirius said that James has this thing against trusting people. He's a little boy like you said, he's afraid of getting hurt…and so he dates all these girls…he loves you but pushes you away…he hurts other people…all so he doesn't get hurt first. The boys have such a ridiculous relationship. They are such opposite characters and yet they've built trust…they can insult each other and be mean and snippy…but it doesn't matter…because it's them against the world. It's always amazed me, that whenever one of them needed help, it was like an entirely different personality possessed each one of them—no one joked or made fun…they were united…and I think they'll always be like that."

Lily smiled a little, "They're little boys who, most of the time, are stuck in the bodies of full-grown men…and they have to fight against both sides…the younger impulsive side versus the side that wants them just to grow up." She suggested.

"Exactly…which is why they love like they do." Kalina added, in a voice that contained a little laughter, but much more love.

The autumn leaves fell over the ground, and in a gust of wind, a full-grown man suddenly appeared among the toddlers. Sirius, who had been sitting on the ground, got up and dusted himself off and looked around before seeing Kalina and Lily. He grinned and came over to them, "Well…I'd have to call that productive." He said.

"Productive 'eh? I'd call it miserably and interestingly mischievous." Kalina countered with a grin.

"You have no idea how much I really just want to snog you right now." Sirius said, putting his arms around Kalina's waist and going to kiss her. He was interrupted however by a tug on the leg of his pants.

"What's snog?" James asked, still in his miniature form.

Sirius looked at Kalina who put her hands up in the air, "That's your job Pad…I'll take the girls."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at her before crouching down to James' level, "Snoging…" he began thoughtfully, "Well, snoging is like American making-out…but better." He explained to an extent he seemed to find satisfactory.

James nodded and said, "Ooh." As he walked away, as though Sirius' explanation had revealed to him the true secrets of the world.

Sirius stood up and turned towards Kalina and kissed her, "Thanks for the help babe." He grinned.

"SIRIUS!" James yelled, motioning with his little fingers, "Come and play with us!"

Both girls noted the momentary torn look on his face, before Kalina pushed him away, "Go play." She said softly.

He gave her a lopsided grin and ran off after the little kids. Within a few minutes James had grown up and was in his normal form. The girls sat watching as Peter and Remus grew up as well, and then as the four men chased each other just as the four boys had been doing.

"When little boys grow up to be men, "Kalina mused, "They're still always little boys."

Lily laughed softly, watching a magical scene…one unlike the magic they were taught at Hogwarts—but a natural magic; one that came from the crisp autumn air and the bright leaves, the laughs and taunts of the men, and the true bond of friendship that they shared. It was a magic that would always exist between the men. Lily smiled to herself and then shouted, "Oi Potter!"

James turned his head as he ran and then jogged over. "What d'you need Lily?" he asked, panting slightly.

She walked up to him, "Can you always stay that little boy at heart? But can you promise you're going to be there?"

James looked puzzled, but answered best he could, "I'll always be a kid—simply because I'm not going to grow up…but I'm always here." He seemed to think the chat session was over and he turned to leave.

"Oi Potter." Lily said again.

James turned.

"Go out with me James?" Lily asked softly.

James smiled lightly, "Okay." Then he turned and he joined the game of chase again.

Lily turned to Kalina and nodded, "Okay."

* * *

Read...review...Nervous about the ending here...love to know how you liked it! 


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